Chapter Text
The wind whipping at your face nipped coldly at your skin, threatening to freeze the warm flesh. Soft flakes of snow falling, few coming into the bay of the opened heli you and your comrades were riding in.
The heli landed, you were immediately escorted inside of the building, and quickly debriefed.
The scene hours prior painted your memory sickly.
Blood pooling at your feet as your mind reenvisions what happened front and center, demanding your attention.
Demanding surrender.
Other people in some sort of higher power that you didn’t bother to question asked you for the details, knowing the paperwork would be hell. Not that you’d be in trouble, but that it would tug at your thoughts until you peeled every layer of skin back from the surface and tore the nerves from your body to stop the feeling.
The loss of people you knew but never cared to know. Under your watch.
It made your frown turn grimly. Thinking that things could have been prevented was futile, the mission was a lost cause.
Regret gnawed at your mind and body. Staked its claim on your conscience.
It happened to everyone at some point. Some foolish mission that would end in bloodshed.
They say that there was nothing more you could’ve done, try to reassure that all was well. Then to shoo you out of the room so the medics could look you over to make sure you’re still a useful asset.
And then onto the next mission you go.
Quiet was something you could get along with the vast nothingness of Russia. At least, where you were stationed anyway. Sometimes loathing the bustling city life.
The recon mission would take weeks up to months depending on how well of a job you did. Which is what you were prepared for. Spending too much time in one place and then being ushered to the next.
You bounced between different groups at different dingy safehouses to retain animosity per the intelligence department. Staying too long in one particular spot would be suspicious.
Gathering the intel you needed, your mission suddenly shifted to the countryside. Something had happened at one of the safehouses and you were put on the back burner until further notice.
What you didn’t know was that you were going to be paired with a native to the area to gather further intel at a separate location, them being with you for safe measures.
Safe measures your ass.
Your driver pulled into a discreet location, trees hiding the majority of the base from any onlookers. It looked decent enough.
Grabbing your bag, you slid out of the car quietly and made sure no one saw you speed walk across the snowy front of the safe house as the car drove off. In and out, no questions asked.
The door was pulled open by the time you came up to it, throwing one last look over your shoulder before ushering inside, the cold biting at your uncovered hands.
The inside wasn’t as big as you thought it’d be. Simple enough to look over, you assumed.
You were met with two men. One being not much taller while the other you had to look slightly up at. Shaking their hand firmly in respect.
They briefly explained they were here to help you transition in and that they’d be on their way back to the other base out of the many that resided in the area. Showing what intel to gather, where to look, how to gain access. Simple enough.
The presence at the other side of the room ripped your attention through all their rambling. The much larger mass crossing his arms as he leans against the doorway, eyes narrowed at you.
The iciness of his eyes meet yours, your own stare boring into him as you put two and two together that this was the native you’d be standing with.
Scary.
Your head tilted, scanning the mask he donned on his face–more like his entire head. It was firm up on the top half, holes sunken in to let him see through while the bottom was more of a mesh fabric, stuck to his skin like a balaclava but covering everything thickly enough.
Not to mention the eye black that was smeared on his skin beneath the mask. He was just a husk of darkness, from his helmet down to his clothing it was thick dark material. Ready to go at any time.
It was a unique choice for sure. But, you remembered many preferred to conceal their identity. You did too, only when on missions, but never full blown masks.
Gaze flitting back to the men before you, you go over your prior mission attached to the other safe houses, explaining what your higher ups told you and whatnot. Walking to a table to set your things down.
And also burying the look the hulking mass across the room gave you in the back of your mind for later.
The men encouraged to be prepared for word on a brief call soon on the whereabouts of the men you were specifically on the recon mission for. Letting you know that some important intel had been gathered and that they were going off to assess it.
Wishing them a polite goodbye, you made sure to bolt the locks on their way out. Finally getting a chance to look around the safe house that you’d reside at for god knows how long.
Brief uneasiness took over your senses, eyes searching for anything off putting or wrong.
There was a simple couch, shelving lining one of the walls and a decent coffee table in the middle of the room. The kitchen was more barren than that, it having no appliances, save for a teapot on the stove. It had a tiny table that fit two–maybe three people. That was it.
The feeling of a pair of eyes on you, you turned to find the large man once again.
Silence enveloped the two of you. It seemed like he was analyzing you, his eyes trained on your form.
“Hello,” you say briefly, telling your name to him with a bit of hesitation. Taking a step or two closer, you think of reaching to shake his hand, but decide against it. “I hear we’ll be working together.”
He looks at you, no emotion behind his eyes. Blunt and straight to the point, he says “Nikto.”
His eyes meet yours for a slight moment before brushing past you to go up to the table and take a seat. Specifically choosing a seat on the edge where he would be looking at the front door, you noticed.
Trailing after, you watch as he pulls out a laptop. The bulky thing dusty as he wipes it off to boot it up.
Being a little intimidated by his presence, you push the feeling away as you grab a seat across from him, shucking your thick jacket off to relieve yourself of the excessive warmth in the already heated home. Your thermal long sleeve and pants were enough for you.
His eyes flick up to you before typing whatever he was doing into the system of the computer. You take the chance to take your belt that had some of your gear attached to it and lay it on the table. Unholstering your gun as well to set it next to you. Tools settling with a firm thunk on the wooden table, echoing in the silence.
You reach for your small walkie, tinkering with the system on the inside and replacing the parts while you had downtime. Inserting the chip the men from before told to install so they’d have a clear connection to you.
Glancing up, you try to get a better look at the man across from you. Try to see what you were going to be dealing with for however long they wanted you to.
He was big, luckily for you at least you had someone with muscle this time around. He could carry his weight and then some.
When Nikto’s eyes meet yours suddenly, you fight the urge to look away. Keeping hold of his stare for a few beats before you look–admittedly a tad timid, towards the window of the kitchen.
“So, what unit are you a part of?” you curiously ask.
Of course he had to be involved in some sort of faction around this area for them to specifically choose him. Not much to narrow it down to, but small talk helped you.
He typed away on his computer in silence for a few moments before pausing, still looking right at you when you decide to look back again. “KorTac,” he says bluntly.
Nodding, you purse your lips. “Right. They told me you were a native to the area. Must be used to the cold then,” you lightly add, trying to relieve whatever tension in the air.
He stares at you for a few moments before going back to what he was doing. “Yes, it gets cold in Russia,” he says slowly, accent thick. It almost sounded condescending, if you really cared.
Staring at him for a few moments, you decided today you were just too tired to deal with anything else. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
You let him do whatever he needed to do, pushing your chair back to rise up and grab your bag, heading down the hall to put it away in whatever room you were staying in. Your boots thumping on the hardwood floor, echoing down the hall.
With the sun setting, you kindle a small fire in the fireplace as your food warms up in the kitchen. You certainly weren’t going to go hungry with how much food was stashed in the safe house.
You gingerly eat your food little by little in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth it emanated.
The dull thudding sound of boots nearing you interrupted your thoughts, looking over to see Nikto a few feet away.
Looking up, you set your bowl down, clearing your throat as you await whatever he was wanting to say. At least, to you, it looked like he wanted to say something.
“They said to lay low tomorrow,” he starts off, direct and to the point. You nod, following along.
“But after, they are having us stake out one of the watch spots. Intel says there's a shipment coming in,” Nikto states, setting his computer on the coffee table and pushing it toward your sitting form so you could see.
He points to the locations he was given, showing how far the two of you were and how it was going to go.
At leask Nikto was thorough and direct when it came to missions. This is what you needed, no bullshit or fucking around. Get in and out. And it seemed like he knew what he was doing too.
Pursing your lips, you point at a specific location. “So we just go to stake out and gather intel on who and what's involved?”
“Exactly. Keep it clean, keep it simple,” he said with finality. His gravelly tone, rough around the edges, was like music to your ears. His accent made it sound so blunt but his thoroughness was definitely appreciated.
Nodding, you watch as he shuts his laptop and walks off to the kitchen. Disappearing for god knows how long until you felt a nudge at your hip. Apparently you had dozed off in front of the fire. Maybe the exhaustion had finally caught up to you.
Nikto nudged you with the tip of his boot at your sitting form, trying to discreetly keep his distance. But it didn’t go unnoticed, especially by you. “I will take first watch. You go.”
You glanced tiredly at the fire, it had new logs and everything placed inside. Maybe while you were asleep he had added more, you didn’t know. Nor were you going to question it.
Shaking your head, you rise up, stretching your limbs. “That’s fine with me.”
You looked at him for a few moments before realizing he was patiently waiting for you to leave, so you yawned and wished him a silent ‘night’ before heading down the hall. The feeling of Nikto’s stare didn’t leave until you entered the room, shutting the door firmly behind you.
The next few days filled you with anticipation to get out of the dingy house. All the two of you could do was wait, and at times Nikto wasn’t budging with your small talk attempts. He was very blunt and held off, save for a few teasing comments here and there.
On the second day, you became a tad more comfortable with the man, sitting in front of the fire exchanging mission stories. More like just you, with him adding something every now and then.
“I’m definitely not used to the cold. Russia is like an iceberg that I can’t escape,” you say with a slight chuckle, grin on your lips as Nikto stares at you.
“You can escape it, I just don’t think you want to,” Nikto says, arms crossed as he stands a few feet from you.
Rolling your eyes, you tsk at him. “Just ‘cause you’re from here doesn’t mean you can assume it's the greatest place on earth. I’m dying of frostbite over here,” you say playfully.
His head tilts at that. “Watch your mouth, or we’ll cut your tongue off,” Nikto says, slight teasing on the tip of his tongue. If you weren’t on his side, you’d be shitting bricks.
Brushing it off, you lead to other topics, like the foods you miss from other missions and more.
When word finally came for the two of you to head out for your intel run, you bulked up in gear. Gun in holster, utility belt ready on your waist, thick insulated jacket zipped up to conceal. Your balaclava brought up just to your nose to keep your face warm.
Nikto seemed ready as he always was. Clothing unchanged, not once had you seen him in a relaxed wardrobe. Not even shedding his jacket. It was probably to shield himself physically, if he wasn’t emotionally blocked off already.
Heading out, you threw your hood over your head and hopped in the car that awaited you and Nikto. It idling quietly in the dark of the night.
The bulky man sat in the front next to the driver, guiding him on where to go to keep out of sights. Away from cameras mainly.
When it came to getting out of the car and into the city, the two of you were hushed, save for a few words here and there.
When Nikto’s Russian started slipping out throughout the night, your curiosity became piqued. The both of you sitting on a concealed rooftop to wait, however many hours it took, to try and gather what you could led to a lot of boredom on your part. Unable to sit still at times. Your jacket rustling each time you shifted.
Whether he was agitated or not, he didn’t show it. His eyes were pressed to the binoculars a lot of the time while you sat on the computer and watched the cameras, checking the bugs the prior team set out for the two of you.
You waited hours for something to show up, and hope was dwindling. And it didn’t help that you had to be silent during this.
As the sun started to rise, just as it was coming over the horizon, a truck showed up. You watched as they pulled into the facility and shut the big doors to unload whatever they needed to.
There were a few men Nikto noted that were walking along the street, some entering the building while some kept walking. Likely security.
Pulling up the bugs, dread prickled on your skin. The bugs weren’t working like they were supposed to.
They turned out to be jammed suddenly, rerunning the code over and over again with worry to see if it was just a simple malfunction. The audio scrambled.
“What are they saying?” Nikto questions without looking back at you.
You huff, shaking your head as you check every single one of them. It was like some sort of field was preventing you from getting in.
Failure hung just at the edge of your thoughts as you scrambled to find something. “The bugs aren’t working.”
Silence stretches for a few beats. “What?”
You’re clacking away at the computer. “They’ve done something to them, I’ve lost all connection to them.”
Nikto pulls back and wires into his walkie, trying to reach the other recon team at the base nearby.
Finally shaking your head and accepting that what was done was done and that there was no way you could get them back without going in and figuring out what was disrupting your connection, you look to Nikto. He was standing there, slightly rigid as he was speaking into the radio.
Shutting your laptop, you put it in your bag and zip it up. “So, what do they want us to do?” you question, back facing Nikto for a few moments.
When he doesn’t respond, you turn around and take a few steps toward him. Wondering why he was silent.
“Nikto?”
He turns to you, putting his radio back in his pocket. His eyes stared you down for a few moments. “I can’t contact the base,” he rumbles, mind elsewhere.
Something had to have been interrupting the fields, or worse, something happened at the other base.
“Fuck,” Nikto curses in his native language under his breath. You attempt to contact them as well with your radio and are met with nothing too.
“So, what, do we go in? Do we leave?” you question, pulling your balaclava down to rest under your chin, white puffs blowing in the cold air. It felt like the only option to get intel, or the two of you would be at a loss.
“Let’s keep it simple,” he starts, a teasing tone dipping into his words. “Let’s just kill them all.”
Nikto watched as you genuinely think over what he says, your body tense as you try to rationalize his statement. You weren’t used to his teasing quite yet.
Nikto chuckles. “No. Too risky, we need to get back to base and figure out what's going on with our fields,” he says, trailing off, actually trying to think hard about the situation.
Nodding, you grab your bag and sling it over your shoulder. “Okay, let's get on with it then.”
The both of you come down from the roof back into the building, heading down the stairs to try and meet at the emergency point with the van.
Feeling a tight grip come down on your arm, you immediately pause, looking back at Nikto with a confused look. He was impossibly close to you, putting a single digit up to rest just before where his mouth would be to paint a ‘hush’-like motion.
Your brain fogged for a moment, trying to gather your thoughts. Your hands found purchase by gripping onto his tactical vest, stabilizing yourself after he tugged you into him.
Clenching your jaw, you stare at Nikto before attempting to listen to your surroundings, wondering what he was hinting at.
That’s when you heard the thunking of boots on the stairs. Hearing gear clacking noisily as they idly whispered to one another. Taking a quick glance, you saw it were the men from outside.
How in the hell did they know where you and Nikto were? No time for questions as Nikto pulls you through the hall wordlessly and jams open a door, hearing the thumping footsteps get faster and louder up the stairs.
Curses fall from your lips as the reality of the situation dawns on you. Something or someone had to have ratted the two of you out. Was it the driver? The other bases?
Throwing a chair up to the door to try and jam it shut, you hear Nikto bash open a window with the butt of his gun, the glass shattering to the floor. His boots crunching on the floor as he wipes away the sharp shards left over.
“Hurry, let’s go,” Nikto urges you, waving towards the window. You didn’t question it as you climbed through, stepping onto the emergency fire escape stairs that were bolted to the side of the building.
The metal rattled underneath you as Nikto climbed out, turning to fire a few shots toward the men that bashed the door open. You bolted down the stairs, Nikto following not far behind.
“Shit,” you cursed, not seeing the van down the alleyway that was supposed to meet the two of you there just in case it went south. Nikto shared the disappointment too.
He guided you quickly through the dingy and dark alleys. “I know where to go.”
You didn’t question him. It has been proven he knew what he was doing, and he knew the area. He was like a tour guide to you but infinitely better.
You followed, making sure no one was following. Attempting to radio the other base one last time, met with static once again.
Nikto grunted. “If we follow along these alleyways into the outskirts of the city, we should end up at the other safe house.”
Huffing, you grunt a response and keep your legs moving. Worry etching itself onto your features, anxious about if the other team had been compromised.
Time stretched far, the sun rising more but clouded thickly, snow falling from the now darkened sky. By the time you had reached closer to the other base, Nikto paused. “We need to be cautious.”
Humming, you nod once he looks back at you and follow behind the larger man as he holds his gun, inching down the dark alleyway towards the location. Your gun is held firmly in your hands, no shaking detected as you're determined to survive now.
Pausing for a moment, you watch as Nikto looks around, icy eyes scanning for anything unusual. He heads towards a back door, unlocking it and slowly inching the door open. Gun first.
Following closely behind, he signals for the both of you to split and sweep the small building, checking for anything out of the ordinary or any of the others.
You branch off and open a door, met with darkness and no one. Silently stepping down the hallway, you open up into a much larger room, weary of anything in there. The room seemed as normal as it could get, but nobody seen yet.
That was until a heavy thump hit the floor a couple feet away from you and the piercing sound of a gun being fired in an enclosed space rung in your ear.
Your reaction to the fire of their gun was faster than the pain that bloomed in your arm. You swung quickly to aim and subdue the target–whoever it was, before they could kill you.
A man slumped to the floor, clenching your jaw in anger as you touched the wound. A deep graze but at least it didn’t enter your body. The constant ringing made you cringe as you pushed through the pain to watch for anyone else.
Nor did it let you hear of the other shots going off down the hall where Nikto had went off to.
The room seemed clear, not knowing that Nikto was suddenly behind you, gripping you tightly as he spun you to look at him. His eyes firm and dead set on making sure you were fine.
“Hey,” he says roughly, trying to make you gain focus. He spots the red that bloomed on your arm and firmly guides you down the hall. “We need to go.”
You pushed through the mind numbing pain and listened to every command he had for you. Apparently the base was a bust and whatever group it was that was apparently coming after the two of you had gotten to them first. So it wasn’t safe here.
Nikto led you to what seemed like an abandoned garage and yanked open the rusted metal door, ushering you to get in the old car that remained dormant there. Hopping into the driver's seat and driving hurriedly out of there.
You held your gun for a few moments just in case someone came by, but after seeing no one the farther out of the city you went, you finally were able to set it down and give some attention to the wound on your arm.
Groaning as you apply pressure to it, you clench your eyes shut to ward off the headache it gave you. Trying not to think about it.
Opening your eyes, you watch as Nikto breezes past the street you knew your safe house resided on. Leaning back in your seat, you stare at him.
“Nikto, where are we going?” you question, weak but determined.
He speeds the car up a bit, glancing at you for a moment before putting his eyes back on the road. “Men are there.”
It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. You cursed, biting the inside of your cheek out of frustration.
Silence enveloped the two of you, save for the rumble of the car's engine. “So, what base do we go to now?”
Nikto sighs, knowing what to say just not how to say it.
“Nowhere is safe for us now.”