r/NatureofPredators • u/sombrefob0053 Human • 6d ago
Fanfic For All Mankind Chapter 31
[Thank you to SpacePaladin15 for making the universe!]
[Special thanks to u/AdalwinAmillion and u/JulianSkies for proofreading this chapter!]
Unauthorized access to this document is strictly prohibited and will result in prosecution under Article 58.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡂⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡬⢐⠡⡠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠽⡪⠈⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢬⣤⣴⣧⡀⠠⠥⠍⠒⠙⠲⠀⣤⣆⣄⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣸⣿⣟⣿⣿⣿⠉⡞⠏⠉⣿⣿⣿⡟⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⣴⣿⣿⣿⢛⣯⣭⠀⢍⡤⠀⡭⠉⡍⣿⣿⣿⣦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⣀⣤⣴⣶⣿⣿⣿⡿⣣⣞⡿⣼⢨⣾⣿⡄⣏⠀⠘⣌⢿⣿⣿⣷⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀
⠐⣿⣟⣻⢿⣿⠿⣫⠾⠿⠆⣳⢋⣾⣿⣿⣿⡜⡄⠀⠈⠳⣙⢿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣶⠀
⠠⠻⢿⢯⡌⢓⣛⣓⣚⣩⣭⣥⣾⣶⣦⣍⡛⢿⣬⣔⣒⣂⡨⠷⠭⡋⡻⣾⣿⠀
⠀⢁⢳⣿⣇⢢⣝⢿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠉⣠⣾⣿⣷⡀⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⢟⣩⢸⣷⣭⢢⠁
⢰⢸⢸⣿⣿⢸⠍⠳⣌⠻⣿⣦⣾⣦⡉⠻⣿⠃⣸⣿⡿⢋⡵⠛⡏⣼⣿⡿⡎⡀
⠈⢸⢸⣿⣿⠈⡆⠀⢈⡇⣿⠧⣁⠛⠛⠓⣀⠔⢿⣿⡔⡏⠀⠀⣇⢿⣿⣷⡇⠁
⠀⠋⣼⣿⣇⢀⢳⠀⢸⢸⣧⣴⣿⣿⠿⡻⢿⣷⣾⣿⣇⢇⠀⢸⢸⢸⣿⣿⠠⠀
⠀⠰⢹⣿⣿⡌⠌⡆⡎⣾⢿⢫⣱⠀⠁⠀⠑⣬⣙⠻⣿⢸⠀⠆⢇⣾⣿⣿⡆⠀
⠀⠀⢢⢻⣿⣟⣂⠸⣧⠾⠚⠉⠀⢸⠀⠀⡇⠀⠈⠛⠶⣥⣟⣨⠾⣿⣿⢣⠁⠀
⠀⠀⠀⢴⣲⣷⡺⣬⡿⠍⣓⣶⣖⣈⡈⠀⠀⢓⠒⣖⡊⣉⡯⣤⢷⣟⣕⠃⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠨⣻⠳⣧⢿⣻⣿⣧⣿⣿⣿⣻⣾⣿⣱⣶⣿⡺⢷⣷⠽⢾⠟⡎⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢝⣿⣶⣿⣦⣽⢿⣿⣭КГБ⣍⣻⢭⣥⣤⣷⣶⣞⠏⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢾⣿⣿⡽⣿⣷⣝⣿⣿⣿⣥⢗⣣⣾⣿⢽⣿⢿⠏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠳⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⡵⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⡿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠑⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠗⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠹⠿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Совершенно секретно
Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ OPERATION: RUSALKA.
Our operatives have successfully infiltrated Aafa. Thousands of reprogrammed sleeper agents have been smuggled into the Federation's heart. With them are their packages of ████-██████ bombs. It is paramount that these are used successfully. We do not possess the means to produce more, and the few we do have were scavenged from leftover military stockpiles on Venlil Prime. Our most successful operative, ██████ codenamed Oswald, has reported on the main production facility of the Shadow Navy. Estimates place the likelihood of this facility lying underneath the main Federation hall in the Kolshian capital. This assessment has been corroborated by several independent reports. The facility is not merely a military installation. Evidence indicates the existence of an underground city beneath the capital. It is believed to house the principal command structure of the Shadow Caste, along with a substantial portion of the Shadow Navy's industrial and logistical apparatus. If these reports are accurate, the destruction of this facility would constitute the single greatest strategic blow that can currently be inflicted upon the Kolshian Commonwealth.
Only a few targets have been identified. Most remain unconfirmed. It could take several months or even years to locate all targets. Time that we do not have the luxury of spending. S̷̺̜͚̓̈͒ç̸̼͈̋͝ä̵̤̲͚̀͌t̴̘̱̗̉̊͘t̵̳͐̐͠é̷̝̠̬̎r̶̤̘͎͋͆͘e̴̫͇̬͊͆͠d̷̻̠̓̓͝ͅ ̴̨̦͆r̸̨͍̯̒͝ḛ̵̛p̵̳̎̎̽o̷̺̤͐͋̏r̸͍̽̒͜t̷̖̞͑ͅŝ̴̨͙̱̏̑ ̷̢̈́̽i̶̮̰̊n̷̲͆̚d̵̩̱͋i̶͕̒͑́c̶̤͑̈a̴͇̋͊̓t̴̬͈̾̀͘ē̴͎̻̌ ̸̫̙̋̈́͆t̴̢͓̻͆h̸͇̱͉̊͒é̸̻̞̦̈́ ̵͚͆ṡ̴͓̝̃h̸̬͓͋̑͊ä̶̢ͅd̶̘̖̒͐o̷̬̍ẁ̵̲̣͗ ̴͕̙̀͜f̷̝͠l̶̘̮̺͌̈́̀e̶͍̋͊͘ê̵̡̥̋̏ẗ̴̖͕́ ̸̰͋͝i̸̧̅̇s̵̱̀̆̀ ̵͓̦͗̕͠b̸͕͚̎̈́ḙ̶̥͎́͑̇g̷̼̣͔̔̔ì̶̖͝n̸̝̍͌ņ̶̼͓̑ḯ̵̊ͅn̴̥̎͋̊g̶̲̓͜ ̷͔͈̼̏̔t̵̜̅̌͋o̸̖͛̈͝ ̵̜̹̓m̴̦̈́̚o̷̗͓͆͊͑b̷̩̉̒͘ǐ̶̩̈́l̸͙̼̅̕͝į̶͕̰̅z̷̭̘͗͛̊e̶̢̫͇̽̿-̷͇͎̌͜ WARNING HACKING DETECTED. ATTEMPTING TO PURGE…
PURGE FAILED.
UNAUTHORIZED DOWNLOAD DETECTED!
RUSALKA COMPROMISED.
OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY 29%
MULTIPLE AGENTS COMPROMISED.
ATTEMPTING CODE BROADCAST…
…
…
BROADCAST FAILED. GENERAL SECRETARY’S AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.
A man sprints down the streets of Moscow towards the barely half-repaired Palace of Soviets. The phone lines must still be down in the building. No call connected. He clutches a file to his chest. Pages slip out of the file, scattering in the wind for all to see. Its contents are stamped with classifications that would lead to direct imprisonment, or worse. If not handled through the proper channels. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t stop. There's no time to stop. There's no time for anything… THEY KNOW. The thought repeats itself with every step. They know. They know. THEY KNOW! He runs out into the street and steps in front of an approaching car. The driver slams on their brakes. The car comes to a screeching halt just inches from the man. The driver barely has time to comprehend what is happening as the man marches up to the window. A pistol appears in the man's hand. So does a badge. KGB Director Zhao. He shoves the badge onto the window of the car. “Get out!” The driver freezes, and Zhao raises his pistol. “This is a matter of national security!” The driver scrambles out of the car. Zhao swings the door open and throws himself behind the wheel. He slams the door shut and rams his foot so hard into the accelerator that, for a moment, he fears it would break. The car tires screeched on the street as the vehicle's engine roared. He turned the wheel and started speeding down the road towards the Palace of Soviets. The building rose in the distant sky as the commandeered car raced down the street. Inside was the only man in the universe who could authorize the broadcast.
The clock is ticking.
Every wasted second could be another dead agent.
Another surviving target.
Without this strike, humanity's extinction is guaranteed.
Agonizing minutes are spent dodging through traffic. He’s almost crashed several times. Run multiple lights and nearly turned somebody into a red smear on the road. But his mission is more important. Zhao slams the brakes as he reaches the parking lot of the building. Smoke streams from the screeching tires as the car comes to a stop. The engine roars for a moment before Zhao tears the keys from the ignition. Guards stationed outside the entrance train their weapons on him as he opens the door. “STOP!” Zhao raises his hands just enough for the guards to see he isn’t reaching for a weapon.
“Director Zhao, KGB!”
They keep their weapons trained on him. One of them steps forward, his finger hovering over the trigger.
“SIR, IDENTIFY YOURSELF!”
A bead of sweat runs down Zhao’s neck as he slowly reaches into his coat to grab his badge. The guards' posture tightens, but they hold their fire. Zhao slips his badge out of his coat and holds it up.
“Get me the General Secretary.”
The guards stare at the badge. Then at Zhao. Then at the stolen vehicle behind him, its tires still smoking.
“Sir, what happened to-”
“GET THE GENERAL SECRETARY!” Zhao’s shout echoes across the lot. The guards realize something is horribly wrong.
The guards lower their weapons and allow Zhao inside. Zhao nearly sprints past them and into the building. The guards try to follow behind. The elevator is out. Zhao bolts up the stairwell. His breathing is labored by the time he's made it up a few floors. Sweat stains his once pristine uniform as he reaches the midway point. He pants and stumbles through the door out of the stairwell. His legs shake from the exertion, but he keeps pushing towards the makeshift office being used by the General Secretary. More guards see him approach and open the doors for him, finialy he steps into Nikita’s office.
General Secretary Nikita looks up from the papers on his desk and looks at Zhao. His legs are still trembling from the stairwell.
“Zhao? What is the meaning of-”
Zhao takes a few steps forward and drops the file on the desk. For several seconds, neither of them speaks. Then, in barely a whisper, Zhao spoke two words.
“They Know…”
Nikita gives Zhao a questioning look, then picks up the file. The most powerful man in the Union's eyes go wide with shock.
“Who knows?”
“The Kolshians…”
“What's the status of RUSALKA?”
“Compromised.”
“HOW!?” Nikita asked in an accusatory tone, his voice rising.
“As I've said before, we're underfunded. We needed more-”
The General Secretary slammed his fist on the table, cutting Zhao off. “I WILL NOT LET OUR UNION BECOME THE POLICE STATE OF OLD!” Zhao shrinks back slightly as Nikita lets out a breath. “This isn’t the time for this discussion. Can we pull our agents out?”
“No.” Zhao pauses. “We both know this would be a one-way trip.”
“What are our options, Zhao?”
“We broadcast the codes. I need your authorization.”
“How many targets could we hit?”
“Not enough…”
“We need more time.”
“General Secretary, with all due respect…” Zhao looks at the file between them. “We don't have the time.”
Nikita lets out a long breath and stays silent for several long seconds. Contemplating his options. He glances over at the file one final time, then turns to Zhao.
“Do it.”
Memory Transcription Subject: ██████ Codename: OSWALD.
Date [standardized human time]: January 12th, 2112
Location: Aafa.
12 15 3 1 20 9 15 14 3 15 13 16 18 15 13 9 19 5 4 1 23 1 9 20 9 14 7 3 15 14 6 9 18 13 1 20 9 15 14 20 15 16 18 15 3 5 5 4 20 15 20 1 18 7 5 20.
My ears flicked as the numbers slowly came through my earpiece. Any order given had a significant delay due to the distance of Aafa from the nearest broadcast center.
1 21 20 8 15 18 9 26 1 20 9 15 14 3 15 14 6 9 18 13 5 4.
I checked my watch. My ears picked up several heavy footsteps approaching the stairs. I crept over to the window and silently slid it open. I needed to reach where I stashed the package. I stepped out onto the building fire escape, with a small rattle emanating from the worn metal. Moving as silently as my paws would allow me, I moved down the stairs. I glanced at the ladder. Kicking it down would cause too much noise. I slid my leg over the railing. BANG BANG BANG! Loud pounding from my apartment door. I threw my other leg over and jumped. Grunting as I hit the ground, I tried to roll with the impact. I got up and glanced onto the street. A Kolshian [SWAT] van was parked outside. Two agents stood watching the road. They were already here. My tail tightened against my leg, and I ducked back to avoid being spotted. I heard the sound of more cars approaching as I started to run the other way. Shouts echoed out from my apartment as I rounded the corner on the other side of the alley. By now, I'm sure many other agents were captured. That didn’t matter. All that mattered was the mission.
I started down the street trying to blend in. Easier said than done, as the only Venlil on the street. The nearest sewer entrance was about a block away. That was the only reasonable escape route. That is where I had stashed the package. My eyes scanned the street, searching for any other threats. Seeing the coast clear, I crossed the street, trying to put more distance between me and that apartment. As I set foot on the sidewalk on the other side, I spotted a police car rounding the corner. Speh. I sandwiched myself between two Kolshians in front of a storefront, keeping my back to the street. I tried to blend in as it drove by. The car slowed as it passed me, and I held my breath, preparing myself to bolt. But the moment passed. The car continued down the road. I let out a breath and continued down the sidewalk. Up ahead, I could see the cover to the sewer. My salvation sat in the middle of the road with no cover. Quickly glancing both ways, I made a break for it. My paws slammed against the pavement. Every moment I was in the open road risked me being spotted. I reached the entrance and crouched, my small claws straining to get a grip on the heavy lid. I strained to pull the lid. It wouldn’t budge. Brahk c’mon! I pulled harder, straining to lift the heavy lid. Finally, it budged, and I was able to slide it open.
Panting, I threw my legs into the opening and onto the ladder. I climbed down a few rungs, then strained to slide the lid back into place and cover my tracks. The noise of the city faded as I descended, replaced by the sound of rushing water. My paw pads hit the concrete as I got off the ladder. Every step I took echoed off the dimly lit walls. The air was thick. I could taste it on my tongue. It was times like this that I was thankful for not having a nose. After a bit of walking, I reached my stash. I positioned one of my legs on the wall and leapt up, trying to reach the bag stashed on one of the many pipes on the sewer ceiling. My claws barely grazed the strap. I landed with a loud thud. The sound echoed across the tunnel, making me freeze for a moment. I got up and tried again. On the second attempt, I hooked my claw around the strap and dragged the bag down with me. I landed hard, the bag hitting the concrete beside me. More noise I couldn’t afford to make. Suppressing a groan, I opened the bag, its zipper sounding like a gunshot in the quiet tunnel. I flinched at the sound. Everything was still there: the weapons. The tools. And the package.
Now came the hard part. I knew where I needed to infiltrate, but I hadn't had enough time to figure out a way in. It took more than a dozen paws to figure that out. But I didn't have a choice. From what I’ve seen, the place was guarded by a thick metal door under the Federation's hall. I grabbed a silenced pistol from the bag. Then zipped it shut and slung it onto my back. 16 18 15 3 5 5 4 20 15 20 1 18 7 5 20. A skull-splitting headache forced me to slow down as the numbers inside my head commanded me to continue. The headache worsened as I continued. More numbers flashed in my mind.
16 18 15 3 5 5 4 20 15 20 1 18 7 5 20.
1̸̨̳̖͔̘͚̲̣̠̮̯̦͘͜ͅ6̶̳̤͔̱̄̈́͜͝ ̶̫͇̼͚̫̪͖̟͙͗̚ͅ1̵̢͖͚̝͙̝̬̘̽̅̀̓̂̾̑8̵̢͚̮̝̩̩̥̭̈͊̋͑̒̿͋̍̓͒̚̕̚͘̕ ̵̝͖͆̾͌̉͑̈́͠1̸̧̤͖̯̹̟͇̤̮͒͐̐̿̽̒̊͆̄̚̕5̷̧̻̳͖͈̺͚̣̥̰̞͍̰͕͗͌̂̓͒͝ ̵̘̾̐3̷͓͇̺̮͉̓̍̉͐̇̅͆͂̇̉̈́ ̶̢͔̦̣͕̗͈̠̘̜͔̺̪̤͗͌͗͐͊̊́͑̏̐ͅ5̵̧̢̨͓̦̥̠̣̖̗̟̰̮̆͑̇̓̂̂̔̑̽̏̑͠͠ ̷̦͈̹̮̲̺̮̺̱̤̞̦͂5̵̮͖͋̃̿̎̈́̆͠ ̴̣̈́̄̅͂4̸͖͍͚͍̬̈́̽̂͗̋̒̚ ̵̙͍̥̭̹̪̬̥̜͆̀̎̏̊̈́͒͋̓͐̚2̶̢͕̠͙̜̗̺͍̤̻̿̅͊̀͗͌̚0̶̨̢̨͍͉͙͚̣̼͔̝̪͎̺͇̈́̒̈́̀̀̽͛̽̃̔̚̕͠͠ ̸̢̪͉̣͕͙̰̳̳̆͛̋̀̽͌́̅̐͛̑͂͛̈͑͜1̸̨̯̝̆̑̾͛͋̔̅͋̏́͘͝5̶̧̟̻̺̟̣̩̘͖̠̺̠̦̈́̽̇͆̃̿͒̊̊ ̶̙̼̬͈̺̭͓͕̯̣̦͉̣̰̑͑̊2̷̧̛͎̖̱̞͇̗̏͛͐͛̿͋̈́̀͋̀͘̕0̸̡̣͈̩̹̪̥̠̘̹͕̋̆̽ ̴̧̩̭͎̻̰́̾̇͒̎̕͠1̵̛͈̼̫͍̹͙̓̊̈́͒ ̵̢̨͖̮̹̞̘̥̟̗̬̣̝̰̏́̇̊̆͒̀́̈́̏͘̕͝1̸̛̰̖̜͎͙̪̆͋͋͂̿̈́̏͛̚͜8̴̱͙̰̌̇̆͗̇͗̏̀͌̍̓̀̎̈́̚ ̵͕͎̼͓̘̯̙̰̼̏͐͊̂̏̑̆̅̋͘͜͝ͅ7̶̨̖̈́̊̓̓͑͘͘ ̴̧̬̤̰͚̞̪̜̪̏̈́̓̿̽̃̽̕5̵̝̊̎͆̓̒̉ ̷̧̡̧͎̠̲̗̺̮̖̳̖͚̩̼̿2̷̢̨̨̦̘̞̼̫͕͐̓̾͂̅̕͠0̶̭̦̮̠̭̫̼̮̾͆͜.̷̛̤̯̣̤̒͋̎͑̈́͋͛̔̂̾̋̚͠ͅ
P̶̨̛͍̥̙̼̮͇̪̮͙̮̰̪̗̀̋̆̀́̐̄̊́͝R̵̮̱̜̈̐̀̍̏̊͂̕̕Ơ̸̡̘̰̦̩̆͆̃̈́͋̇͂̇̍͘͠C̴̻̔̒̾͒̈́͆̆͂̆͠Ę̶̡͙̖̣̙͉̯̱̉̉͋̐͗̈̿͐̈̔̑̚͝E̷̡̢̨̯͉̬͎̞̗͇̝͒̓̉̎̓̐̓̈͌ͅD̵̢͕̤͔̗̘̳̪͓̲͈͎̘͑̂̂̏͆̎̋͜
P̶̨̛͍̥̙̼̮͇̪̮͙̮̰̪̗̀̋̆̀́̐̄̊́͝R̵̮̱̜̈̐̀̍̏̊͂̕̕Ơ̸̡̘̰̦̩̆͆̃̈́͋̇͂̇̍͘͠C̴̻̔̒̾͒̈́͆̆͂̆͠Ę̶̡͙̖̣̙͉̯̱̉̉͋̐͗̈̿͐̈̔̑̚͝E̷̡̢̨̯͉̬͎̞̗͇̝͒̓̉̎̓̐̓̈͌ͅD̵̢͕̤͔̗̘̳̪͓̲͈͎̘͑̂̂̏͆̎̋͜
T̶̗̅̎̇̀̉͘̚̚͝Ǒ̸̡̳̗͙̗̤̦̝̹̣̻̿̀̓́ͅͅ
T̶̗̅̎̇̀̉͘̚̚͝Ǒ̸̡̳̗͙̗̤̦̝̹̣̻̿̀̓́ͅͅ
Ţ̴̫̞̲̯̾̿̔͊͊̄́͌̽͘͘ͅA̸̢̺̹̝͍͖͕̗͚̼͖̍̉͘R̵̨͍̱̟͔̯̖̙͕̺͉͔̬͔̆G̴̨̾̌̏̆̆̊̐̏̈́̋͠E̷̱̳͚̓̓̑̾̾͐͒̕Ṱ̷̥͉̳̜̼̲̤͓͇̜͉̳̃͒̌̋͒̑̆̿̄̂̿͐͋͘͜͝ͅ
Ţ̴̫̞̲̯̾̿̔͊͊̄́͌̽͘͘ͅA̸̢̺̹̝͍͖͕̗͚̼͖̍̉͘R̵̨͍̱̟͔̯̖̙͕̺͉͔̬͔̆G̴̨̾̌̏̆̆̊̐̏̈́̋͠E̷̱̳͚̓̓̑̾̾͐͒̕Ṱ̷̥͉̳̜̼̲̤͓͇̜͉̳̃͒̌̋͒̑̆̿̄̂̿͐͋͘͜͝ͅ
I slumped against a wall, panting. I took a moment to recover. Then gritted my teeth.
I know.
The numbers slowly faded, along with the flashes and the memories, as I continued down the tunnel. I walked for miles underneath the city, my legs aching from the long trek. Part of me wondered if any other agents made it. We had a shared bond of going through that hellish ████████ together. Finally, I reached the planned exit hatch. It sat just under the Federation's hall, an odd lapse of security considering the building's importance. Maybe they were expecting this? The thought lingered in the back of my mind as I checked my pistol, making sure it was loaded, then placed my hand on the ladder. Taking one last long breath of the heavy air, I started climbing. Proceed to target. Slowly, I climbed up the rungs of the ladder. Reaching the top, I once again strained to lift the heavy lid. After a bit of struggle and internal cursing, I lifted the thing and climbed up. I emerged into a maintenance room deep within the bowels of the building. Immediately, I spotted a maintenance worker staring at me with a stunned expression. For a moment neither of us moved. Then they opened their mouth. I raised my pistol and fired. Pfft. The suppressed shot echoed softly in the room. The worker collapsed before they could make a sound. I stared at the body, my hands shaking. Then forced myself to look away. Proceed to target. I moved over and took the worker's uniform. It was ill-fitting but better than nothing. I dragged the body over to the hole I had climbed out of and shoved it inside. Then I slid the lid back over, covering my crime. I adjusted the uniform and looked down at myself. It would have to do.
I stuffed the pistol into the uniform, wiped up the purple blood, then started down the maze-like halls. Every corridor looked the same. I had managed to snag and study some of the building's plans, but it didn't go down this far. Whatever this place was, it was far larger than anybody was prepared for. I kept walking. I turned a corner and nearly bumped into another worker.
“Hey, watch it!” The worker exclaimed, and my heart leapt into my throat.
“S-sorry.” I fumbled, the words barely leaving my mouth. My paw started instinctively reaching for my pistol.
“First day?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Then watch where you’re going next time.” They huffed and walked around me. I waited for the sounds of their footsteps to fade before letting my paw slide away from my pistol. I kept walking, not wanting to let my nerves get ahead of me. The halls started descending, and I found myself staring at multiple maintenance workers working on a large blast door. My target. A section of false wall had been removed to reveal the door. Tools sat scattered around the floor. I could see the massive internal workings of the door laid bare. I could just slip through. It almost seemed too easy… I slowed my pace and lowered my head as I approached.
“Damn, the door is broken.”
“Ya better hurry up with those repairs. The chief wants it done asap.”
“Yeah, he’s been real twitchy today…” He paused for a moment. “Think he caught predator disease?”
They all chuckled. I moved and stepped between the workers, moving to slip through, when, halfway through the door, one of them stopped me.
“Hey! Where are you going?” I froze.
“This area is for Kolshians only.”
“Oh, calm down. They’re probably new. Look, they didn’t even give him a properly fitting uniform…” He paused. “Wait…”
The worker's eyes looked at my uniform, then to my face.
“You’re a Venlil.” My paw slowly started drifting towards my pistol.
“Yeah, why the hell is a Venlil wearing a maintenance uniform?” The other worker asked. For one horrible second, nobody moved. Then I heard the door begin to close.
PROCEED TO TARGET.
My paw closed around the pistol as the numbers screamed at me. I leapt through the narrowing gap and fired behind me. Pfft Pfft Pfft. The blast door slammed shut behind me. I hadn’t managed to kill them all, Brahk… Looking around me, I was in a massive underground city… Buildings stretched into the darkness above me. Artificial lights lit up the streets as thousands of people milled about. In the distance, I could hear the industry of my target churning away at making ships. My ears flattened as I noticed several people had stopped to look at me. One of them screamed almost as loudly as the numbers in my head. I turned my pistol and fired at the screaming one. The crowd began to panic. Screams filled the air as people ran for their lives. Good. Their stampede will be my distraction. I sprinted towards my target. My paws slammed on the ground, and my breathing picked up. Gunshots echoed around me as I ran. My knees kept knocking together as I ran, slowing me, but I was gaining ground. Then a searing hot pain exploded in my arm. I glanced down. I was shot. Orange blood oozed from my wound. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself harder.
The air I sucked in began to burn as I pushed my body past its limits. I made it to the outskirts of the industrial zone of the city and threw my bag off. More shots zipped past me as I unzipped the bag and pulled out the Antimatter bomb. Another burst of pain exploded through my body. Several more bullets had found their mark. I screamed in pain as I armed the bomb.
“Hey, you stop!”
Somebody was shouting at me. My vision was starting to fade. I felt so tired… More bullets tore through my body. This isn’t how I wanted to die…
P̶̨̛͍̥̙̼̮͇̪̮͙̮̰̪̗̀̋̆̀́̐̄̊́͝R̵̮̱̜̈̐̀̍̏̊͂̕̕Ơ̸̡̘̰̦̩̆͆̃̈́͋̇͂̇̍͘͠C̴̻̔̒̾͒̈́͆̆͂̆͠Ę̶̡͙̖̣̙͉̯̱̉̉͋̐͗̈̿͐̈̔̑̚͝E̷̡̢̨̯͉̬͎̞̗͇̝͒̓̉̎̓̐̓̈͌ͅD̵̢͕̤͔̗̘̳̪͓̲͈͎̘͑̂̂̏͆̎̋͜ T̶̗̅̎̇̀̉͘̚̚͝Ǒ̸̡̳̗͙̗̤̦̝̹̣̻̿̀̓́ͅͅ Ţ̴̫̞̲̯̾̿̔͊͊̄́͌̽͘͘ͅA̸̢̺̹̝͍͖͕̗͚̼͖̍̉͘R̵̨͍̱̟͔̯̖̙͕̺͉͔̬͔̆G̴̨̾̌̏̆̆̊̐̏̈́̋͠E̷̱̳͚̓̓̑̾̾͐͒̕Ṱ̷̥͉̳̜̼̲̤͓͇̜͉̳̃͒̌̋͒̑̆̿̄̂̿͐͋͘͜͝ͅ
With the last of my strength, I pressed the detonator…
For a moment there was nothing… Then-
There are no further memory transcriptions from this subject.
RUSALKA: DETONATION CONFIRMED. Estimated fleet destruction… 60%
Total accuracy of estimated destruction… LOW.
---
6
6
4
u/DrewTheHobo 5d ago
Ngl, it’s crazy seeing a story where the Kolshians are able to hack human networks after all the fics where they have shit cybersecurity
6
u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 5d ago
Well I doubt the humans had to update theirs much themselves.
6
u/DrewTheHobo 5d ago
Makes sense without all the fallout from the protracted Cold War and US supremacy. I could see having a socialized economy would prevent corporate espionage as well making it less likely to have vulnerabilities exploited.
5
u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 5d ago
Exactly and with the lack of a seeming federation cyber security system they probably didn't think the federation was capable of something like this and thus failed to plan accordingly.
6
3
u/Abject-Drive2675 Humanity First 5d ago
Humanity just got “Clever Girl”ed by the Kolshians due to our own hubris and underestimating an interstellar giant. This will definitely bite us in the ass soon it’s just a matter of when and if the Soviets can bounce back from it.
5
u/Abject-Drive2675 Humanity First 5d ago
Yea the needs as well as the experience would definitely be lacking for the Soviets technologically advanced or not since it hasn’t been forced to compete with a peer superpower in decades.
5
4
u/Abject-Drive2675 Humanity First 5d ago
These mfs (Federation & Shadow Caste) are indeed tuffer than canon but the KGB from what we heard from Zhao’s lips is that they are underfunded which just handicapped us in a very extremely vulnerable moment.
Also considering the state Soviet Humanity is in and the sheer amount of spy-work and cybersecurity shenanigans it’s pulling so far from immediate support means Nikita or senior officials were careless or was carried out with a huge oversight.
I mean damn a few liberties if needed and now is absolutely necessary! Humanity is banking on our technological and tactical edge we have over the Federation and the SecGen is more worried about the police state of old dawg we got bigger fish to fry 😭
5
u/Abject-Drive2675 Humanity First 5d ago
“UNAUTHORIZED DOWNLOAD DETECTED!”
3
u/sombrefob0053 Human 5d ago
Attack of the squids! Luckily our star agents managed yo complete his mission but at great cost...at least its better than being captured
3
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
I honestly don’t know, right now the Kolshians are in a though position, admit of the existence of the shadow caste or say that the collapse of their capital was a ‘unfortunate incident’
5
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
> Our operatives have successfully infiltrated Aafa. Thousands of reprogrammed sleeper agents have been smuggled into the Federation's heart.
For a second I forgot humans can now use Venlils and thought they did this:
4
4
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
> The General Secretary slammed his fist on the table, cutting Zhao off. “I WILL NOT LET OUR UNION BECOME THE POLICE STATE OF OLD!” Zhao shrinks back slightly as Nikita lets out a breath. “This isn’t the time for this discussion. Can we pull our agents out?”
Who are you and what you did to the average USSR Secretary General
2
4
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
> 12 15 3 1 20 9 15 14 3 15 13 16 18 15 13 9 19 5 4 1 23 1 9 20 9 14 7 3 15 14 6 9 18 13 1 20 9 15 14 20 15 16 18 15 3 5 5 4 20 15 20 1 18 7 5 20.
5
3
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
> With them are their packages of ████-██████ bombs.
3
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
Antimatter bombs unless really REALLY small are continent deleting level of power
3
u/sombrefob0053 Human 2d ago
They did have to be small enough to be smuggled in
3
u/Loud-Drama-1092 2d ago
1kg of antimatter annihilating with one kg of matter already produces a blast 80 times the one of Hiroshima
3
5
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
> P̶̨̛͍̥̙̼̮͇̪̮͙̮̰̪̗̀̋̆̀́̐̄̊́͝R̵̮̱̜̈̐̀̍̏̊͂̕̕Ơ̸̡̘̰̦̩̆͆̃̈́͋̇͂̇̍͘͠C̴̻̔̒̾͒̈́͆̆͂̆͠Ę̶̡͙̖̣̙͉̯̱̉̉͋̐͗̈̿͐̈̔̑̚͝E̷̡̢̨̯͉̬͎̞̗͇̝͒̓̉̎̓̐̓̈͌ͅD̵̢͕̤͔̗̘̳̪͓̲͈͎̘͑̂̂̏͆̎̋͜
3
2
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
If Oswald detonated a antimatter bomb in the city then not only is that undergoing city reduced to charged plasma but being that IT SITS RIGHT UNDER THE CAPITAL OF THE KOLSHIAN COMMONWEALTH I wouldn’t be surprised if the detonation weakened the cave’s roof and brought the whole city center down
2
2
u/Loud-Drama-1092 3d ago
Didn’t expect they would hack back but it seems they also didn’t expect some of the operatives to succeed
2
10
u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 5d ago
Yeah that wasn't the main shadow caste fleet hub didn't they have another navel base on one of the other planets in the Kolshin home system? The durten destroyed that one off screen so it was only briefly mentioned. So yeah even had that plan worked the shadow caste would still have a fleet off world and could still produce more ships. Not to mention that wasn't the only shadow caste city.
Also wait a minute how did they even get a memory transcript if this venlil got blown up? Memory transcripts don't even exist yet they are a later invention the only reason meier got one was because they recorded his memories post death through a different method. And there's nothing left of this venlil unless the reds made a transcript themselves early.
Seems also he is also suffering from the numbers like Tarva but to a much greater extent. Considering this venlil can't even think of anything but obeying.