The Red World

Chapter 2: Recruitment

Andrei Nikitin woke up, and found himself tied to a chair. He looked around everywhere, then it came to him that he is in a basement, surrounded with walls of gray, some cracked, concrete. One lightbulb hangs as the only lighting available. Suddenly he hears a deep voice.

"He's awake, sir."

Andrei noticed some eyes peeking out at him through the door's large peephole. The peephole closes, and suddenly, four people walk into the room where Andrei was tied up. A man, with blonde hair and a bandana tied around his head, begun to speak to Andrei.

"So, you are Pankratiy's grandson, Andrei, eh?" He spoke in a deep, relaxed voice. "Y-yes, but who are you people, and how do you know who I am?" Andrei replied in a sort-of-frightened tone. "That doesn't concern you at this moment. What matters the most is that you are essential to bring back freedom to this world." Andrei was intrigued by what the man said to him. "What do you mean bring back freedom to this world? The world is liberated from the corrupted system called democracy! The world is more free than before." Andrei responded back, almost shouting at the man.

"Guess he doesn't know yet." The man said to himself. The other three people nod in agreement. The man begins to talk to Andrei again. "Let me ask you, Andrei Nikitin, what does Communism look like to you?" "...Communism is where the workers of the world are free from the bourgeoise, everyone owns property, and workers are paid according to their abilities." Andrei replied, in a relaxed, yet shyly, tone. "Yes, but do you ever see those things you said in action, or by your own eyes?" "I have seen people being happy on those murals in condominiums, walls, streets, so I'm telling you, Communism works!"

"Sigh..." the man said in reply to everything Andrei said. "You really don't know the true nature of Communism, after all, huh." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Let me show you what Communism has done in the past years." The man gestures one of the people, a brunette woman, to go get something from outside the room. After a while, she returns, with what seemingly looks like tapes and projectors. She starts setting up the projector. Andrei notices one of the tapes is named "1940 Siberia". The recorder is finished setting up, and the tapes begun to play.

The tapes show some secret recorded footage of the 1936 Great Purge, a genocide that occurred during the late Joseph Stalin's reign that killed Political opponents, Trotskyists, Red Army leadership, kulaks, ethnic minorities, religious activists and leaders. Another shows footage shown takes place in the middle of Ukraine's Holodomor period, where millions of Ukrainians suffered under a famine.

Another film shows the atrocities committed by the Soviets during WW2, where it committed mass genocide to a small German town which rebelled against Soviet Rule. Finally, the tape named "1940 Siberia" displayed ethnic minorities being brought by train to a large camp called the Gulag, as they were suspected of having some "independence ideals".

Despite this, Andrei still refuses to believe that Communism is evil. "It's their fault they didn't obey the laws of the Soviet Union!" The man, disgruntled at what Andrei said, decided on another plan. "I'll show you more evidence, then." He signaled another one of his partners, a dark chestnut haired man, to untie his chair. "Come with us." He said to Andrei. Another man begins to point a large AN-94 Assault Rifle against him, just in case he tried to escape. Andrei reluctantly follows them into another room.

The room was more filled with furniture than the room Andrei was tied in. The walls were still gray as concrete and stone, but the interior was filled with maps, papers, cabinets, and filing cabinets. On the center lies a table, also filled with papers, and folders with the words [CLASSIFIED] on them, probably stolen from the archives of the Kremlin. Andrei couldn't believe his eyes. "Woah..." he said to himself. "What's that on the table?" He asked the blonde haired man.  "A file we stole from one of our raids on the Kremlin's archives. Here lies all of the evidence you'll need to prove that Communism is an evil ideology."

The file reveals atrocities committed by local KGB agents in their respective SSRS. The Korean SSR reported nearly 100 cases of public executions in its capital of Pyongyang. The Brazilian SSR reported mass genocide on some Amazonian Tribesmen, with total casualties nearly a thousand. Finally, another file reveals an operation called "OPERATION RESPECT" where its main goal is to arrest and trial people who speak out or criticize any part of the Soviet government, whether by words, written in books, or via social media. 

Suddenly, the blonde haired man starts to speak again. "Ah, this might be the file that will make you regret the current government." He hands Andrei another file, with the words "Solutions to a Declining Economy". "This is what the previous administration brought up in case of a sudden decrease in the global economy. Their choices might be-" The man is interrupted when Andrei begins to speaks "Wh-what the? Why does one of the choices include taxing the farmers? Farmers are one of the pillars of Communism!" He continues to read the list, which also includes taxing manufactured goods and seizing every company identified and recommended in the Kremlin's records.

"This isn't equality, this is just plain corruption! Why didn't my grandfather tell me about this?" Andrei said anxiously. The blonde man begins to speak to everyone in the room. "Indeed it is. And this is exactly why we must bring back true freedom to the world. If we don't act now, more and more people will be oppressed under this so-called ideology." He begins to speak directly to Andrei. "You now understand what this regime has brought upon us." Andrei stops him, however. "But wait, why are you telling me all of this? I'm the grandson of the current leader!" He asked the man.

"It's because you are an important piece in the plan." The man replied. "As the grandson of the man who sits in the Kremlin, you must be able to access the most classified of documents, and see what this government is up to." Andrei was a bit shocked at what the man said, and then he began to speak again. "So, what do I have to do, then?"

"Join us, Andrei Nikitin." The man replied

"H-huh? Join you?" Andrei was shocked at this turn of events. "Indeed, join us, and together, we will free this Red World from the clutches of this evil ideology and bring back peace and freedom to the people around the world." The man said, having a slight smile on his face. "Let me ask you again. Who are you people?"

The man chuckled, and said to him. "We are the All-Russian Movement."

"The All-Russian Movement?" Andrei asked again. "Yes, that is correct. Oh, we haven't properly introduced ourselves properly, haven't we?" The man realized. "Hello, my name is Vikentiy Alexandrov. The brunette woman is Yekaterina Zaytseva, the dark chestnut haired one is Veleriy Egorov, and the one holding the assault rifle is Gavriil Morozov. Once again, we are the All-Russian Movement and we will bring back a free, democratic Russian Republic, and here is the catch, you shall be the leader of this free Russian Republic, Andrei Nikitin."

"M-me? Leader of a Russian Republic?" Andrei, surprised by the last sentence of Vikentiy Alexandrov's introduction. "Indeed you will soon be, if you join us that is, Mr. President." Vikentiy said in response. "So, will you join us, or not?"

There was a tense 10 seconds of waiting for the response of Andrei. Until finally, he begins to speak.

"For a free Russian Republic, I shall join you." Andrei said to all of them. The mood lightens as Andrei decides to join the movement. "Let us free our Russian brothers and sisters and bring back true freedom to our lands!"

"Very good decision, Andrei Nikitin." Vikentiy said, now will a smile on his face. "Our first mission briefing will begin in a few days. Come back soon."

"I will, don't worry." Andrei said, preparing to leave the movement's underground hideout. "I need to get going, my butlers must have been worried by now." Andrei waves farewell at the group, as he emerges from the underground hideout."

"My life just got interesting." Andrei said to himself, as he continues walking back to his family's mansion.