The square-faced drone stared across, completely ignoring
the protest. His arms were crossed and his upper lip was
almost curling.
"Son of a bitch!" Alexei walked across the room to circle
around the strange metal chair that was the only piece of
furniture in the room. "Listen, I appreciate that your boss
has the right to lay down ground rules for this meeting
but..." He flicked the restraints on the arms of the recliner.
"...good faith bargaining works both ways. I gave you my guns
but I'm not gonna let you strap me down to this thing."
"It's the only way General Santiago can see you." The goon
finally responded to Alex's objections. "It's not optional."
"Okay, how about this?" He offered up his most puppy helpful
smile, the one he hated using despite its effectiveness.
"I'll stay on the far side of the room, you play the human
wall in the middle and your boss can stay in the doorway.
That way if I misbehave all he has to do is slam the door."
"I said it's the ONLY way the General CAN see you." The
mercenary explained as if to a slow child. "The General
isn't here on the premises. You have to go to him."
Alexei pursed his lips. "In a chair? I'm going in a chair."
He repeated. Bad enough Nicki had him doing jerk-off
negotiation errands but she had him visiting with fruitcakes
as well. Olga had given him a clean bill of health. His
bloody arm, or should he say bloodless plastic contraption,
was as healthy as it was going to get and the nightmares had
eased off. They'd told him this was real assignment, told
him he was ready to handle the hard stuff again. Bullshit.
King Kong was still staring at him with all the emotional
range of piece of concrete. "We don't have to fasten the
restraints." The goon finally allowed. "But the chair's the
only entrance."
"Fine." Alex pulled out a little Swiss-army knife, the only
piece of hardware he'd been allowed to keep. Watching over
his shoulder for any objection he began sawing his way
through the strappings. The restraints slipped out of his
new hand several times slowing him down but eventually all
four of the heavy bands hung by only threads. "I feel
better." He closed his knife by pushing the back of the tiny
blade against his trousers. He pocketed it and hopped up
onto the vinyl-covered recliner. "Now what?"
The other man crossed the floor with a put-upon glower of
annoyance darkening his expression. Some opaque goggles and
a tangle of wires were extracted from the shelf hanging
underneath the chair. "Wise ass." The goon accused. "I'm
your way back. Don't piss me off." He shoved the visor at
Alex. "The General's going to meet you in virtual reality. I
plug you into the computer and they meet you on the other
side. When your business is finished we'll bring you out."
"Nobody warned us about this." Alexei looked down at the
device in his hand. "I'm here to trade programs and
information, not play some kind of overgrown video game.
This is serious business."
"Yes, it is." The human wall concurred. "Deadly serious. Now
put on the gear and the General will show you just how
sincerely he's taking your offer."
Alex spared one quick glance toward the door, considering
his options then shoved the glasses in place. They blacked
out the entire room, a situation he immediately disliked.
"Hold still."
Those words were all the warning be got before two needle-
pricks of pain stabbed into his temples. "What the hell are
you doing?" Alexei tore the blinders back off his face and
turned to glare at the mercenary only to discover the man
had disappeared. Training took over and he threw himself out
of the chair and toward the back wall. Fuck, but wasn't the
room suddenly different as well. Four barren walls had been
replaced with rich panelling and a small round table holding
a massive bouquet of flowers and a lamp now stood by the
door. The plain grey, all-purpose chair was now plushly
padded and covered in gleaming leather. The most
disconcerting thing however had to be the twinge of pain
from his left wrist, the warning of a near sprain. Alex's
mouth dropped open and he lifted up what had been a
prosthetic not ten seconds ago. "Sukin syn!" What the hell
kind of trick were these people playing at? His arm was
gone, lying in a pile of leaves in the Tunguskan wilderness.
A sharp rap at the dark wood door warned him of company
before it swung inward. The man who stepped inside was no
interchangeable thug. He wore a crisp green military uniform
and an attention grabbing red beret. "Aleksandr Nicolavich?"
The newcomer's tone turned the name into a question.
That was the alias for this job. That persona was one of his
first and most prestigious covers. It was a stone cold fact
that the name Alex Krycek didn't rate much respect in a
situation like this or even in all of the United States
anymore despite how much he liked being Krycek in certain
situations. "Da." Began in Russian almost automatically
after spending so much time in St Petersburg, but the
correction came quickly. "Yes." Alex arose slowly from the
defence crouch he'd fallen into and with more enjoyment than
he cared to admit he smoothed both his hands down the front
of his charcoal coloured suit jacket. Nicki had picked out
his clothes for this meeting, dressing him in an
outrageously expensive European design to display her power
and wealth.
"You're most likely curious about how you arrived here, Sir.
The General doesn't like to be pestered with questions of
that sort so I'll attempt to address any concerns of that
nature you have before escorting you to him, Mr Nicolavich."
The young man offered.
Alex nodded, taking a moment to glance about the room and
order his thoughts. "Where exactly am I right now, Soldier?"
The uniform was completely unfamiliar and he couldn't even
begin to decipher the rank insignias on it but it wasn't
likely they would send an officer to fetch and baby-sit a
civilian.
"Your mind and a simulation of your body are now inhabiting
a virtual reality construct that goes by the name of 'Harsh
realm', Sir. Your real body is still in the bunker under
care of the gentleman who was your outside contact and
guide. He is under strict instructions to secure your safety
while your consciousness is here."
"So none of this is real?" Alex flicked those fingers he had
been missing so intensely about the luxurious room. "I'm in
a video game?"
"A carefully designed and rather expansive virtual reality
world, Sir." Came the polite correction. "If you've no more
questions...?" The soldier held out some kind of visitor's
pass.
"Bloody hell! Just when I think my life can't get any
weirder. All right. I can deal. I've seen stranger shit than
this. Not by much, but close." The Russian pulled in a long
soothing breath of air. "I'm here to discuss an exchange of
information and technology with General Santiago. Obviously
the tech you've laid your hands on is something quite worth
looking into. Perhaps you'd best just take me to him and
we'll get the negotiation underway." Alexei crossed the
room, glanced down at the ID briefly, and then clipped it
onto his lapel.
The sounds of a heated disturbance were emanating through
the double doors in front of them but Alex's escort didn't
seem to think twice about opening the portal and leading the
way in so the Russian followed with only a little wary
caution.
More members of Santiago's private army were milling about
inside the massive conference room in little knots of drab
green. Most of them were quietly observing the fracas near
the back of the cavernous room. Some broad-shoulder, roaring
man was holding another hard against the wall by his collar
and screaming right into the pinned man's face. Classic
boot-camp psychology, Alex observed.
"You seem to have forgotten that I tell what to do, when to
do it and who I want it done to!" The shouting man had to be
a superior officer. The pair of them were matched in size
and as Alexei approached he realised that the one being
shouted at was a good fifteen years younger at least. If
Alex were in the younger's place he would've snapped that
obnoxious bastard's neck by now for letting spittle fly in
his face.
"I thought..."
"It wasn't the time for thinking! It was the time for
following orders." The older guy closed the distance even
further, thumping his subordinate against the wall a couple
of times to illustrate his point. "It's becoming more
apparent with every mission that you seemed to have trouble
remembering that you work for me."
The junior fell into dismal silence, realising that arguing
was only going to compound the problem. Alexei felt a strong
twinge of sympathy. He'd been in that situation too many
times over the last few years. It was hard to stifle the
desire to get your own point across. The guy did sullen
nicely too, just a hint of pout without actually pushing his
lips out and a nice crackling blaze in his very expressive
eyes.
"Don't even think it." The alpha male warned in a more
regulated tone. "Consider yourself restricted to
headquarters until further notice. If I get a report of you
attempting to leave Government House it will go even worse
for you." He thumped his captive roughly, enforcing the
threat. "I've grown sick to death of your attitude,
Lieutenant. I don't want any more lip out of you. Got it?"
His choice of words earned a few almost silent sniggers
around the edges of the room. Christ, Alexei hated dealing
with soldiers, especially the sort of private force that
seemed to be assembled here. Everything was a pissing
contest with these kind of men. He could practically smell
the testosterone wafting through the room and see the chest
banging. Worst of all, this kind invariably sensed something
not quite right about Alex and went out of their way to test
the Russian's metal, looking for weakness. It was like
negotiating your way through a pack of wolves.
"General Santiago, Sir." Alex's guide finally decided to
make their presence know now a tense silence had fallen.
The screamer enjoyed one last shake before releasing his
prey. He glowered across at the other for at least a half
minute before finally turning about to face the newcomers.
He wasn't exactly what Alexei had expected when he'd first
heard the name 'Santiago' but he did have that all-American
Marine look down pat. The man was likely shaved nearly bald
under that crimson beret and he certainly did that 'down the
nose' appraisal look that most officers seem to have
perfected. He was squared jawed with a perfectly trimmed
moustache and an expression that was far too calm
considering he'd been roaring his lungs out only moments
ago. Alex took an immediate dislike to him.
"Aleksandr Nicolavich is here to see you, Sir."
The General looked over, a muscle in his jaw jumped in
reaction and a slight sneer curled the older man's upper
lip. "You're Nicolavich?" His gaze ran swiftly up the
Russian's form.
Alexei realised he'd been visually weighed and found
wanting. The suit was a huge mistake. He'd have been better
off in his denim and leathers with this crowd, though not by
much. The only thing he owned that would have begun to
impress this lot was his own military uniform and even it
would have offended them despite the many decorations the
Russian army had hung on him. All of theirs were almost
identical. They carried their ranks in their attitude not on
their shoulders by the looks of things.
"Unfortunately, Mr Nicolavich..." Santiago inclined his head
only briefly and didn't even bother to narrow the space
between them. "We're in the middle of a situation here. Our
meeting is going to have wait a while."
"No problem." Alexei fought the urge to step back and kept
his face carefully neutral. "I can come back in a few days."
Only if both my legs are broken and you drag me back clawing
and screaming. The thought rattled around the back of his
head.
The headshake preceded the words. "No. I should have this
little problem tidied up by late tonight or perhaps
tomorrow. It would be simpler for all concerned if you just
stayed here while I tended to business." The General
attempted a smile that looked more like a threat. "Most of
my forces will be removing to the area of the difficulty but
as long as you say here in Government House your own safety
will be assured."
"My apologies, but I'm on a tight schedule, General
Santiago." Alexei began.
"Then I shall make every effort to return here promptly." He
left no room for doubt that Alex was here until he said
otherwise. A thoughtful frown settled on his lips. "Since
the offices will be on a skeleton staff..." Santiago glanced
back at the man he'd had the conflict with. "Lieutenant
Pinnochio will see to your comfort."
Two birds with one stone. The officer was punished by being
given baby-sitting duties while Alex was now under the
attention of someone far less amenable than a servant or a
junior aide.
Alexei was attempting a little covert observation as the
Lieutenant lead him down the hallway. He and soldier were
about a match in height and body weight. Alex thought he
should be able to take the other if it came down to a
struggle, especially taking into account he had both his
arms back at the moment. Of course, considering the
interaction he'd witnessed it might not be necessary. If
Alex could just wrangle enough information out of the other
it might just be a matter of running off. The Lieutenant was
obviously bucking the party line, a point in Alex's favour.
The man wasn't hard on the eyes either, if you went for that
handsome, battle-worn, GI Joe type. Alexei generally
preferred the scenery lean and lanky with more precisely cut
features but there was something to be said for this guy's
rougher face and solid body. Alex had never been able to
pull off that look even when he was in uniform. He'd been
told more times than he cared to recall that he was simply
too beautiful. Christ, he hated hearing that phrase,
especially on the lips of assholes like the Smoker. That's
one of the reasons black leather was his clothing of choice.
It leant him an air of menace that made people take him
seriously.
The officer, Pinnochio, shot an annoyed frown at his charge
and came to halt for what seemed to be no reason. "You got a
problem, Suit?" He snapped out.
Okay, it could have been worse. Alexei could think of at
least a dozen worse things that the guy could have called
him. Besides the snarl looked even better on him than that
near-pout had earlier. It put a sexy snap into the
Lieutenant's blue-grey eyes and sharpened features that
looked liked they'd seen some hard times. "I'm just
wondering..." Alex shrugged absently, not finishing the
sentence on purpose. He generally liked what a little
frustration did to a man's ability to reason clearly.
"What?"
Alexei dared a taunting smirk. "Does your General crap on
everyone like that, or are you just special?"
"He's going to kill you." Pinnochio went on the offensive
immediately. "He's gonna get what he needs out of you then
pull your plug. He's taken one look and decided you're
nothing but decoration for your organisation. The General
doesn't deal with worthless go-betweens." The officer's jaw
tightened, lifting slightly.
Alex couldn't help but consider the exact implication of
what the other was saying. "I thought we were in a game?
People don't die from playing video games."
Pinnochio had a nasty smile of his own. It lent him a
particularly enticing evil air. "You die in Harsh Realm,
your real body dies... it fries out your brain. Too bad you
didn't read the instructions all the way through before you
decide to join the game, Suit."
"Ubl'yudok!" Alex's fists tightened up. "What else should I
know?" He demanded.
"Why should I tell you anything, Suit?" Pinnochio chuckled.
"I'm already in shit with the General. You've got nothing I
want." He ran a critical stare up and down Alex. "Or maybe
you do."
The Russian's brows lifted in speculation. "You think?" He
shifted his weight to his back leg, unconsciously posing.
That's what most people wanted of him when they looked at
him like that.
The Lieutenant stepped into Alex's personal space, catching
his eyes and peering intently. "Yeah." His hand lifted and,
quite to the other's surprise, snatched the identification
badge off his jacket. "This." Pinnochio announced with a
grin that suggested he knew what the Russian had been
expecting. He eased back and held the piece of plastic up
for examination.
Alexei blinked, betraying his total shock at trick. There
were artificial pheromones pumping through his system that
ensured no one ever turned him down so flatly. It was a slap
in the face to realise the other man's complete lack of
sexual interest. Christ, if the transfer into this
constructed body regenerated his arm then it most likely it
had filtered out his biological enhancements as well. Sukin
syn, Alexei hadn't functioned chemically clean since he was
twelve years old. This situation was going to take more
adjustment than he'd originally planned.
Still, Alex's training was physically centred. His next
choice of action reflected that. He waited three breaths for
the soldier to dismiss him as 'no threat' then exploded.
Whipping around in a complete circle Alex struck out hard
with his instep. The sudden, unexpected pain in the back of
Pinnochio's calf dropped the Lieutenant to one knee.
Immediately following up the vicious kick, Alex bent over
and snatched the badge back again. He then put a fair
distance between them, wary of retaliation. "You want it?
You tell me exactly how to get the hell out of this place so
I don't need it anymore."
Strangely enough Pinnochio started laughing and climbed
painfully to his feet. "Jesus Christ, I've never seen a
fucking Suit move that fast."
"I'm not a Suit." The Russian stated flatly, studying his
opponent. "Alex. My name is Alex."
"Mike." Pinnochio nodded a greeting. He stretched out his
damaged leg, wincing slightly as he put pressure on it.
"What the hell are you?"
"A prisoner, I'm guessing." There was no way he was going to
attempt to explain how many organisations he worked for to
some mercenary nobody. "So I've got two concerns." Alex
dangled the plastic-coated pass. "One, how do I get out of
this fun-house and two, is there someone on the outside
controlling this set-up and the equipment that runs it, or
is Santiago the only one I can get this tech from?"
"You don't want much for a hunk of plastic, do you?"
Pinnochio complained. "I'm not even sure that little trinket
will do the job of getting me out of the city and providing
the capital I need anyway."
"You want to leave the city, but not the game?" Alex
inquired curiously. "Or can we only exit from outside the
city? Come on, I need a clue here."
Pinnochio looked nervously up and down the hall before
speaking in a hushed tone of voice. "You need more than a
clue, Sport. First of all, this isn't Santiago's invention
so he can't give you the tech that built it no matter what
he's told your bosses. It belongs to the American Department
of Defence. The General just hacked his way in and took
over. Secondly the only way you're likely to get out is the
same way you got in, on Santiago's orders. He's got your
body stashed somewhere and his finger's on your kill-switch.
Of course, I've an idea of something you could do that might
make the General release you."
"The DOD." Alex grinned wickedly, fixating on the part of
the other's speech that had caught his attention the
strongest. His initial reaction was, Christ, but Mulder
would love to hear about this new layer of military
weirdness. Unfortunately, dropping titbits of information
for the deadly gorgeous G-man was a hobby not a primary
concern. Staying alive and keeping his handlers happy had to
take priority and what kept them happy was information.
"What else can you tell me about this..." He glanced about.
"This place." Nicki, his boss, would want details.
Pinnochio shook his head. "No more right now." He bargained.
"I'm thinking that between my rank and the job of showing an
important Suit around... Yeah, that would justify leaving the
city, at least as far as the gate guards are concerned."
"You were confined to HQ." Alex reminded him. "Won't they
know that?"
"The door guards will, the gate guards won't. It isn't
information that needed to be passed along to them." The
Lieutenant turned and began striding down the hallway. "You
want to know everything I do. Come with me." He called back
over his shoulder.
"But what about the door, then?" The Russian chased after.
Pinnochio's tight smile gave away nothing. "I've a private
exit, sort of a 'glitch' in the system."
True to Pinnochio's expectations no one seemed interested in
questioning their activities once they were through that
weird permeable wall that Mike called a 'glitch' in the
software of the game. Outside of Government House
Pinnochio's rank and Alex's guest pass cleared their path.
Mike took an armour-enforced car from the mostly deserted
motor pool without a speck of trouble.
"Just sit still and don't say anything." Pinnochio warned
the other as the vehicle approached a high fence and the
gatehouse the guarded the only opening in sight.
"A little more information would be nice before you drag me
half-way across the country." Alexei grouched. He would have
tried sulking but he doubted that attitude would hold any
sway with the Lieutenant, especially now. Alex was off-
balance, trying to decide how to behave with out the prop of
his artificial enhancements. Right at the moment he wasn't
sure if the lack was a fair trade off for his returned left
arm. After all, he'd had several months to get used to the
lack of his limb and make adjustments to his behaviour.
"Soon enough." Pinnochio came to a halt and popped his door
open so he could get out. He moved smoothly, with his hands
kept in clear view so as not to spook the heavily armed
sentries.
Those same soldiers immediately seemed to calm when they
realised who he was. Their salutes were sharply done, but
all of them were smiling. "Lieutenant Pinnochio." The
leader of the small detachment stepped forward. "You're
trailing behind today. Everybody else passed through about a
half-hour ago."
"I've got an observer with me." Mike hooked his thumb back
at the car. "Can't let the Civy get too close to the action
or he might puke cappuccino up on his shiny designer shoes."
He invited them to share a laugh at the stranger's expense.
One of the guards ran a laser scanner across the officer's
chest while a second went over to authenticate the
stranger's ID
"How'd you get stuck with day-care duty, Sir?" They knew
each other casually. It was enough of a friendship for the
junior officer to feel comfortable asking questions of Mike.
"I pissed off the General... again. No surprise there."
Pinnochio shrugged.
It was common knowledge that Mike Pinnochio was falling
deeper into disfavour with every mission lately. The lower
ranks found the situation odd since they didn't have all the
details. As far as they could see those same assignments
were being successfully completed. What else should matter?
The one who had gone to look Alex over returned. "The
Tourist is in order." Came the report.
"A Tourist?" The one in charge whistled. "You sure do pull
all the fancy cases, Lieutenant. I remember that posh
brunette you were showing about a few months past. She was a
Tourist too, wasn't she?" The soldier smiled. "She was quite
the piece of work."
The glare that Pinnochio turned on the talkative man
practically withered him in place. "If we're done here." It
wasn't a question but a statement.
"Yes Sir." Another salute, even more precise than the first
was offered up.
Mike stalked back tot he car, taking out his annoyance at
being reminded of Inga by slamming the door and hammering
the vehicle into gear. That damned woman had fucked him over
so many ways it made his head hurt to even think about her.
She was a good part of the reason he had to get away from
General Santiago, his private army and this whole blasted
city.
Alex was thrown back into the cushioning of his seat by the
rapid acceleration. "Problems, Pinnochio?"
"Shut up and let me drive." The other snapped back. As if
his gut weren't twisted in enough knots already at the
reckless attempt to escape Santiago's increasingly heavy-
handed control he had a wildcard factor to deal with as
well. If the stranger didn't keep quiet and allow him time
to work out the details of his plan Mike was going to crack
the bastard upside the jaw.
"Sure. Fine. Whatever." The Russian looked out the window,
building a map in his head of the route that this unexpected
turn of events was leading him along. Alex noticed an
immediate difference in the landscape now they were outside
the enclosing walls of the sprawling city. There was a clear
sense of neglect and decay in the surrounding countryside.
"We've got to find someplace to hole up and take care of a
few things." Pinnochio rumbled half to himself. "We don't
want to go too far from the city, for your sake anyhow." He
pressed down on the gas again, moving them far too fast
considering the pockmarked condition of the road. When they
were about thirty-five minutes from the gate he pulled over
to the side of the road with a swerve and some hard
breaking. "I've gotta do something before we go any
further." First Mike dug through his pockets to produce a
penknife, then Pinnochio sent to pulling his uniform open
and rucking the T-shirt he wore underneath it up and out of
the way.
Alexei shifted in his seat so he could appreciate the view
even if he was confused as to its purpose. Mike had a good
strong chest, faintly furred with light brown hair. His
admiration was interrupted when Pinnochio began cutting a
short slit in the skin of his right breast, half way between
his shoulder line and one dark nipple. "What exactly are you
doing?" Alex demanded of his companion.
"There's a computer chip implanted..." His voice was tight,
coming through gritted teeth. "...in here." He used the edge
of the small blade to pry at something. "They can track me
with it. I hafta get rid of it before we can stop anywhere
to...God damned, fucking thing!" Between the awkward angle and
the fact the blade handle was quickly growing slippery Mike
couldn't get a grip of the small rectangle of plastic.
"All right, I get the drift." Alex pushed up out of his
seat. "Hold still." In a swift economical movement the
Russian shifted over and dropped down to straddle the other
man's lap. "Hold your shirts out the way. The blood might be
hard to explain later if you need to rely on your uniform to
get us out of trouble." Alexei took the implement away and
after using his own sleeve to blot up the worst of the
blood; he professionally extracted the two-inch wide device.
"Be grateful I'm not digging this out of your nasal cavity."
Alex remarked upon noticing the soldier's grimace. "That's
the stash point of choice for some of my other employers."
"You're some piece of work."
"I've been told that." Alex glanced down at the red gash and
a grin spread over his face. Without warning he ducked his
head down and ran a damp tongue over the makeshift surgery.
A faint groan of pleasure escaped his throat. "Fuck I love
the taste of that stuff."
Pinnochio sat, shocked into inaction by the strange
behaviour. As if to emphasis the other's point Mike could
feel an obvious erection digging into his stomach.
"Blood. Adrenaline. I may not be giving off the scent, but
I'm still feeling the effects myself" The Russian murmured
with an absent shrug. "It's a long story. Here." First Alex
pulled out his pocket-handkerchief then his fingers lifted
to swiftly undo his necktie. "This will hold a bandage on."
He fastened on a sturdy field dressing in just a few
moments.
Pinnochio sat stiffly under the intrusive attention,
flinching slightly backwards when he realised that the other
man was lingering longer than necessary after finishing the
task. "We've got to put some mileage between us and this
place. Get off me and throw that thing out the window."
Alex followed the second instruction, flicking the messy bar
code out the window but keeping his seat on Pinnochio's lap.
"You taste good." His tongue cleaned up the bit of blood
still smearing his lips.
"What the hell are you?" Mike demanded yet again, his eyes
widened in amazement at the civilian's behaviour.
"Fucked if I even know anymore." Alexei chuckled and after
one more provoking squirm he climbed off and back into his
own seat. "Not that I ever known, I suppose. Twisted huh?"
He grabbed at his seat belt. "So hadn't you better be
finding us a hidey hole so we can have a nice long chat
about this charming place you live in." It couldn't hurt to
keep the soldier off-balance and if the look on Pinnochio's
face was any indication this method was rather effective
even without his pheromonal enhancement.
"I was supposed to cave this place in during a mission last
year instead I've been stashing some things here when I've
had the chance... getting ready."
They had hidden the car in some thicket of prickly bushes
about an hour's walk away and covered it with branches. Now
Pinnochio was leading the way down a ladder into an
underground shelter.
"Cosy." Alexei remarked nervously when his feet finally
touched the dirt floor. It stank of disuse and mould. "All
it needs is some frost heaves and a few sadistic guards and
you'd be able to re-create the beginning of my worst
nightmare... although with all these lovely oil stains on the
floor you're right up there in my 'all time favourite places
to die' list." He kept his left hand on the ladder reminding
himself there was a way out and of his temporarily returned
appendage at the same time.
Pinnochio frowned at the Russian's nervous prattle. "I've a
lamp in one of these lock boxes. As soon as it's lit you can
pull the hatch shut and we'll talk."
"Shut the door?" Alex looked up at the small circle of light
not too far above his head. "No, I don't think so." He
placed one foot on the bottom rung, prepared for flight.
Claustrophobia was such a childish fear. He realised that on
an intellectual level but he just couldn't help the
encroaching terror. Ever since he'd been locked in that
missile silo and left to starve to death Alex hadn't been
able to take enclosed spaces easily and his experience in
that Tunguskan gulag had re-enforced the fear. Confinement
meant loss, pain and death. His nervous system accepted that
as simply a fact of nature.
"Ease up." Pinnochio snapped impatiently, recognising fright
but unaware of the intensity of the emotion. "We're gonna
have to stay out of sight for at least two or three days.
It'll take that long for Santiago to notice you're gone and
commit to a full scale search." He guessed. "I'm counting on
your employers making a big stink once they find out you're
missing or simply realise you're overdue. Is that the way of
things?"
"My employer..." Alexei pulled himself up one rung to get a
better taste of fresh air. "...will begin screaming for my
return within about 24 hours."
"Good." Some tarps were dragged of a few chests in the back
corner of the bunker. "Omar needs to discover that you're
not expendable but you don't want to be in his hands for
more time than is necessary. Your best bet is to be needed
outside of the Realm as soon as Santiago's forces recover
you so he doesn't have time to rip you open looking for
secrets." Billows of dirt and debris were tossed into the
air as Mike uncovered his emergency stashes.
"You're feeding me bits and pieces." Alex complained.
"What's your big plan? Pretend I'm stupid. Lay it out for
me." The longer the other man kept talking, the longer the
hatch was going to remain open, Alexei reasoned, thereby
providing a few more minutes of holding his sanity intact.
"I lured you out of the city under false pretences."
Pinnochio supposed aloud as he dug out a dented lantern.
"Maybe I told you I was taking you to the General."
"NaÔve, aren't I?" The Russian's tone was strained.
"Adjust it however you want." A lighter was produced from a
pocket. "This keeps you out of the interrogation chamber,
Spook."
"Spook?"
Pinnochio looked up. "You're some kind of black ops spook.
It's the only explanation." He turned back to the lamp. "So
in about three days you present yourself to one of the
search parties, tell a tale that includes the fact you've
killed me in order to escape..." The soldier glanced over to
gauge the other's reaction but Nicolavich was staring up out
the door. "Then you demand to be immediately returned to the
real world before the General has time to chew you up."
"And you're dead so he stops looking for you." Alexei
finished off. "It might work. I'll need some damage done to
me or they'll never swallow it."
"Not a problem." The bluish glow of the lantern filled the
small bunker. "Shut the door, Spook. We've gotta make like
groundhogs for a few days."
Alex's head started shaking back and forth even before his
throat managed the words. "I can't. I just can't." He
started up the ladder. "I'll wait outside. I'll find
somewhere else to hole up."
Pinnochio caught a pant-leg and held on. "Just what is your
problem? This is a perfect hide-out."
Alex's forearms were wrapped around the top rung of the
metal ladder. His face was hidden between them. "I can't do
enclosed spaces, dark, deep enclosed spaces. They... it really
bothers me."
"This is the best possible place." Mike's tone softened just
a little at the edge of terror he'd finally heard in the
other's voice. "Everyone but me who knows about this place
is dead. We're in the middle of nowhere. He'll search farms
and settlements first." Pinnochio tugged at the soft fabric
in his hand. "Come down here. It's the only sensible move."
Cursing quietly in five different languages Alexei
reluctantly released his death grip and forced himself to
descend once more. "You turn out that light and I'll kill
you. I swear to God I will. I'll tear out your fucking
throat if you let it get dark in here." The Russian walked
stiffly over to the halo of light and dropped down cross-
legged. His eyes, wide with emotion, tracked Pinnochio as he
climbed up to pull the door shut and lock it. Alexei
flinched when the heavy slide thumped into place. "You
promised me answers, Soldier. Start talking." Alex's fingers
fisted into the material of his trousers. As long as he
could keep the dark and silence at by he could handle it,
his internal voice vowed. All he had to do was concentrate
on the satisfying stream of information and his memories of
pounding on the door of the silo begging for release would
stay shoved down in a corner of his unconscious. Yeah,
right.
"I don't know it all. Some of the shit the brass told me
turned out to be damned lies. Some of it I've pieced
together and I might be right off base." Mike began. "The
military told me that Harsh realm was designed to duplicate
the real world based on some census they took a few years
ago, maps and the like." He frowned, unable to grasp the
technology that could turn that kind of raw data into this
mess he had to live in. "They made it as accurate as
possible then populated it with millions of 'virtual
characters' based on actual living people. They wanted to
run simulations of conflicts and terrorism situations that
might occur in the real world. At least that's what they
told me." Pinnochio dropped down, close by Nicolavich, to
better judge the state his reluctant guest was in. "Most of
the people living inside this place are constructs. You can
shoot 'em and they just phase out cause they never really
existed in the first place." Mike stomped down a twinge of
discomfort that he felt about saying such coldly clinical
words aloud. More and more the VC were becoming real to him,
which was a dangerous weakness he couldn't afford. "But a
number of them are soldiers that were sent into the game by
the military." He gritted his teeth and let out an annoyed
snort. "They plugged me into a fucking computer and sent my
brain-patterns into Harsh realm because something went wrong
with their precious invention. General Santiago has taken
away control of the Realm away from the American government
and he's running his own agenda." It was hard to decide what
to tell and what to hold back. Still, considering how close
the other man was to loosing it, Mike decided the longer
winded he was the better. It certainly looked as though when
he ran out of things to say they were in for some serious
panicking.
Pinnochio decided half way through his extensive lecture on
Harsh Realm and General Santiago that Nicolavich was one
strange son of a bitch. The spook had sat unnaturally still
during the entire recital staring either at the lantern or
at Mike's face with huge, almost black eyes. When Pinnochio
himself had fidgeted or gone digging through the lockers for
water and rations Nicolavich had simply shifted enough to
maintain eye contact without getting up. The man's leg
muscles should be ravaged by cramps. "I've got nothing
else." Mike finished lamely, his voice grown hoarse from
extended use. "You'd just better keep your end of the
bargain. I don't want to spend what's left of my life
dodging one of Santiago's hit squads."
Wide eyes blinked slowly, acknowledging the thought. Alex
reached over and laid his ID badge on the trunk that was
supporting the lamp. "Convincing them that I killed you
isn't a problem. I've a few scenarios in my head. I'll use
whichever one seems right at the time. That's one of my
areas of expertise after all."
"Assassinations?" Pinnochio asked.
"Cleaning up loose ends however is required." Alexei glossed
over his job description. "I'd like a drink of water,
please." There was an oily tang in the back of his throat
that he'd been trying to ignore. Admitting he felt it's
presence was conceding that he had failed to control
himself.
Mike passed over the water bottle he'd taken a few swallows
from. He noticed a tremor in Nicolavich's hand as they made
brief contact. "Why does this..." Pinnochio gestured vaguely.
"Freak you out?"
Alex dragged the opening of the bottle thoughtfully across
his lips. "Due to circumstances beyond my control I got
trapped in a missile silo a few years ago. Locked in. It
took a couple of days for someone to find me and let me out.
Long enough to dehydrate me into hallucinations." He
elaborated. "Long enough to convince me that I was going to
die there...slowly." His breath hitched. "All alone. It messed
me up a bit." The understatement in that last sentence was
painful to hear.
"We've food and water enough to do weeks down here."
Pinnochio reassured, uncomfortable with the razor's edge
quality Nicolavich's voice was projecting. "And we can open
the door anytime we want, although, I wouldn't recommend it
if there's soldiers about." Alex was staring at him
intently, as if waiting for more. The fierce expression made
Mike want to fidget. "And you're not alone." The last
concession was dragged out.
It earned a curt nod. "Thank you." Alexei murmured softly.
"I can take almost anything but isolation." He confided in a
grave tone. "It's a flaw, but that's the way the world is.
Flawed. If something is perfect it's a lie."
Pinnochio shrugged in half-hearted agreement. "I suppose."
He allowed, not really eager to get into that kind of
discussion. It was altogether too close to home. "Maybe we
should sleep. We're in for a long, boring wait."
"I'm not sleepy." Alexei countered. There was no way he was
going to get through this without going insane the way
things stood right now. "Let me check your cut." The Russian
approached and without waiting for consent he began pulling
at Pinnochio's clothing.
"Get off." Mike batted at the other's hands.
Alex paused in his efforts, sitting on his heels. "I could
do that." He offered. "I could get you off." Anything to
avoid the sense of aloneness pressing down on him. It took a
pretty cold heart to deny him a little reassuring physical
contact once he'd blown someone and the Lieutenant didn't
look that cruel.
Pinnochio's expression was shuttering down even further as
he tried to figure out what the hell was going on with his
temporary companion. "I don't think so." Nicolavich was a
pretty enough piece of work. He had the look Mike went for
on the few occasions he played that side of the fence but
the man's temperament was way too bizarre. That blood-
licking thing had completely thrown Pinnochio.
"What?" Alexei's brows lifted expressively. "I'm not your
type? Tell me what you like. I'm versatile, or you could
close your eyes. Whatever."
He tossed out a likely objection. "I don't do spooks."
The choice of objections made Alex smile. "I get it. I've
intimidated you."
"In your dreams." Pinnochio sneered.
Alexei's pursed his lips. It wasn't an argument he was
after. Instead of snapping back he purposefully loosened his
posture and softened his expression. "Come on Lieutenant.
Consider it a few days lost in time. In just a little while
I'll be gone, one way or the other, and you'll never have to
admit this even happened." Alex lowered his lashes and
tipped his face so he was looking up rather than across at
the other. He edged closer once more and dared an exploring
caress across the other's pant-leg. "Nothing weird. No blood
sports or kinky stuff. Just a warm body to help pass the
time." When he reached for the front of Pinnochio's shirt
again his hands weren't knocked away. Alexei kept his gaze
lowered to the task, not wanting to suggest a challenge. It
made perfect sense. The officer likely had his fill of
hostility and simmering violence in everyday life. He
wouldn't want rough trade in the sack. Instead Alex dropped
gentle kisses on each bit of skin as it was gradually
revealed.
Pinnochio let out a long, pleased breath and let himself
ease back against the tarp and boxes behind him. "Sweet."
The word sighed out as Alex's open mouth traced a path up
his ribcage. It had been too long since someone had laid
hands on him with any intention except to cause pain and the
other man's fingers were feathering over him so smoothly.
"You've wonderful shoulders." Alexei's eased Pinnochio's
undone uniform shirt back and off then eased close to lay a
line of firmer kisses up his bicep and over the material of
Mike's under-shirt. "You just lay back. I'll take care of
everything." Alex urged, pressing just a little. He was
pleased to feel the soldier give in to the push and let
himself sprawl on his back. "Strong." Mike's T-shirt was
caught by the hem and teased up. "You don't need this." When
the prone man stretched his arms to make it easier to remove
Alexei smiled. Mindful of Pinnochio's injury, stripped it up
and off in a long, graceful movement. "Thank you." The
Russian whispered, moving to crouch over the other on his
hands and knees. His lips moved up Mike's collarbones and
onto his throat. "Relax." Alex's lips pressed the word into
the other's skin as they traced a path up to Pinnochio's
ear.
Damn, but Nicolavich's mouth was talented. The Russian had
only just begun and already Pinnochio's stomach was
tightening up in anticipation of what those warm lips were
going to feel like on even more sensitive skin. Mike's eyes
closed to better appreciate the fire just staring to ignite
inside of him.
Alexei's eyes opened suddenly yet again. He had rolled away
from the comfort of Pinnochio's body in his sleep and his
unconscious mind had panicked at the chill and dampness in
the air despite the heavy tarp draped over them. "Ebat'-
kopat'!" It took a moment to get control of the shivers
that wracked him but as soon as they had died down Alex
squirmed back against the other man, snuggling in.
Concentrating on the steady thump of the soldier's heartbeat
helped to banish any lingering alarm. This had already
happened several times. Luckily Pinnochio had slept through
all but one of the panic attacks although that incident had
been dispelled quite pleasantly with a bout of sweaty sex.
"You 'kay?" Mike mumbled not quite conscious. He pulled the
other into a loose embrace and planted an absent kiss on
Alexei's forehead.
"Mmm, yeah." The Russian pushed his face into the crook of
Pinnochio's neck and burrowed. "I'm all right now."
"I should check outside. Is it daytime again yet?"
Alex had to admit to a certain amount of surprise that the
soldier seemed content to wait for Alexei to release him
before pulling away.
"We'll do a quick scout of the area then come back here. You
need to pick up some travel stains or your tale won't be
very convincing." Pinnochio mused aloud.
"And some damage." Alex mentioned yet again earning an
annoyed frown from his temporary lover. "You're going to
have to knock me around soon or the bruises and cuts won't
look old enough when I present myself to the General's
goons." He sat up. "There's no way they're going to believe
I took you out without sustaining a few injuries along the
way. Logically I should have a non-fatal bullet wound."
"I won't shoot you just to make the story work."
"Don't worry about it. I think I can wrangle justification
for the lack." Alexei attempted to joke. "I can do it to
myself if it bothers you. I have before. I just don't want
you to..." He faltered. "I won't be doing it for fun so don't
get all weird and push me away. I can't handle..." Alex sighed
and looked away.
"Do you think a few hard hits to the ribs and black eye will
do the trick?" Mike scooped up his trousers from the nearby
floor.
"Yeah, that'd be fine." The Russian fully intended to
inflict some small lacerations on himself as well but that
could wait a little longer. "Not the mouth though. I'm still
gonna need it a little longer, right?" Alex climbed upright
and moved to press himself against the other. "Michael?"
Pinnochio frowned briefly then gave in to desire to kiss
Alexei. "One more night." He whispered quietly against
Nicolavich's mouth. "Then you'll have to head back on foot,
maybe try to get yourself lost for a day or so. It'll put
you in the right frame of mind. You okay with that?"
Alexei nodded, a tiny movement so as not to dislodge the
other. "I'm tougher than I look. Don't worry about me." He
offered a brief brush of lips then stepped back. "I could
use a breeze on my face. Let's go."
When the time arrived Alexei chose to rise, dress and depart
without disturbing the man lying beside him. Pinnochio
wasn't likely to awake without some kind of provocation
considering the workout they'd had less than two hours ago.
That was most of Alex's purpose behind wearing the other man
out. He could live without yet another goodbye scene
rattling around inside his head. The few hundred he had
skulking in the corners of his brain didn't need any
company.
The Russian paused briefly at the bottom of the ladder to
glance about and see if he was forgetting anything. If his
gaze happened to linger on Pinnochio's sleeping form it
could have been purely accidental. The interlude, which had
threatened to be a living nightmare, had turned into
something much more soothing.
Once out in the open air Alexei let the heavy hatchway drop
back into place with a resounding slam so the soldier would
be roused enough to lock his hidey-hole back up tight. He
had a rough idea which direction to head in order to return
to Santiago City but first he needed to walk a bit of circle
and tend to something that Pinnochio wouldn't have approved
of.
Contemplating best place to slash open his body, his arm or
his ribs, Alexei trudged off in the growing light.
That's it.
Negotiation
by Carla Jane
"You're kidding, right? I didn't come for a fucking
dentist's appointment."
Milk and cookies time.
