Fault of The Air

My body was weak, and my eyes saw only grey, as voices sounded around me. I woke up, from my out of body experience, seeing through my eyes and only them once again. The window that looked out onto the street was broken. I put my hands on the floor, feeling the cold barely through my gloves. I wasn't wearing gloves when I came here. A thick wintery, gray coat lies next to me, on a hanger. A desk, with lots of things laid out upon it is there for the taking. Outside the window, people walked the streets. Many of them with gasmasks on, and uniforms of ACU camo. I recognized them as United States Army soldiers. Why they were here, I don't know. A vehicle was sitting on the corner, many of the soldiers talking. Citizens walked by, too, with less complex masks on, and regular clothing.

I turned to the desk. I stared at the things on it. These were laid almost deliberately, each organized, I found, by alphabetical order, as if I was some sort of genius. My mind analyzed the objects, and I came to the conclusion that within the old grey gym bag, there were 6,000 rubles, 3 packages of MRE's, an unloaded gun, and two 15 round magazines for the gun. They were each 9mm hollow points. A BlackBerry, two cans of Pepsi, and one can of a smaller drink, which looked to me like Redbull, written in another language. I used to love that stuff. I'd drink it can by can. This was all an involuntary guess. Also, on the desk, there was a heavy parka, grey as well, and some black boots, size ten. A piece of paper resided on the table. It read
"If there is any confusion, any at all, you may want to think. Just think. I need you to perform a task, for me. I need you to find a spirit, in the sarcophagus. You have the touch, the mind, and you can." I folded up the message, and put it in my pocket. I put on the boots, and the coat. Inside of the coat pockets, which happened to be very spacey, perfect for a large amount of items to be carried within it, was a black mask, kind of like a balaclava, but without the hooded part. I slipped the gasmask into my pocket. I zipped open the bag, and just as I had guessed, all was there. There were 6,000 Rubles here. I felt around, and in my back pocket, was a wallet. 6,000 more were in there, but nothing else, besides a security pass into the dilapidated, but still bellowing intense radiation, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. I turned on the BlackBerry, complete with a charger, and went into the contacts list. A person named "Midway" was there, and under the name was a description. Control. That’s all it said. I slung the bag over my shoulder, and set out blindly.

Its 16 meters to the ground. I keep getting these headaches in my brain. Well, the door is locked, and I know I won't fall. I climbed out of the window, being wary of the glass shards. I looked down, because it's an instinct. I scaled my way down the building. This throbbing headache keeps going. I finally realized I was stuck in the middle. I made a split second decision, and turned just enough to launch myself off the small ledge I was bound to. I flew approximately 34 feet across the ground, and latched onto a fire escape. I climbed up, and made my way down the stairs. The metal hummed under my feet as I walked down the stairs.

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I got to the street, and looked around. My headache had disappeared. I looked at the GPS map on my BlackBerry, and proceeded to walk down a street, that would take me into the city, of Vlasmik. I walked, and concentrated at the Map, too. I looked around, and old Cyrillic language surrounded me, everywhere I looked. A flag on the map marked where Midway was. A white building stood before me. I stepped onto the step, and my phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I took it out, and the map changed to a message. Suite 5AB. I entered the building.

The floor was dusty, and no one was in the lobby, but I heard people around. I proceeded up the stairs. Cement cracks fell out under my feet, as I walked up the stairs. I felt the cold metal railing. It was humming; I could feel it in the palm of my hand, through my glove, and in a way, shook my brain. I made my way to the door that corresponded with the message on my phone.

I opened the door slightly. A man looked up at me, dressed in a black hoody.
"Come in, please, do. You are Vityan, no?"
"I suppose." My voice teetered at a very low pitch.
"Come on. Sit down." He told me. I walked in, and undid the black mask.

"I have a lot to tell you. And I know you don't remember, because from the way you can barely keep your head straight, it seems to me you fell asleep in the old abandoned apartments. You're lucky, you're not dead. But, you've got some bad radiation poisoning. Incase you didn't feel metal things moving around sporadically under your touch. I can't believe you've done this. It seems you have all your stuff, but you don't know a thing, do you? Tell me, what do you remember?"
"I remember... seeing myself. I was looking out the window of that grey apartment, and everything was clean, and the windows were there, but still a bit broken. I shouldn't have sat there, I wasn't allowed to."
"And you fell asleep? I'll answer that for you. Yes, you did. You think you fell asleep yesterday, right?"
"I know I did."
"You're not going to believe me, buddy. I know you won't. Radiation contributes greatly to the effect of Amnesia, this kind, anyways. You have been asleep for 6 or more years. Possibly ten. Considering the floor you fell asleep whatever years ago was rusty and metallic, and that was before, the underside of Chernobyl's Power plant fell apart. About three years ago, a major earthquake hit Russia, particularly, near Chernobyl. Of all places, it had to be there. It was a pretty clean place, but, the underside of the reactors literally broke apart, falling into a deep cavern, as well as some misplaced radioactive rods, and infected things, and dead bodies, the whole 9 yards. Anyways, it created a type of 'core' within the underground, and people didn't know it, but the radiation was somehow being held in place. Now, a huge Paramilitary force stationed in Russia, took all their men there, and basically held the world hostage. All nations were required to swear allegiance to 'The New Soviets' or else, they would continue drilling a deep hole into the core, and yes, that would probably encase the world in some serious rads. However, things shifted inside the core. Parts moved about, and all at once, but not as powerfully, to our surprise, about three sevenths of the stuff inside there, blew open, up the tunnel, and a major 'nuclear volcano' erupted, randomly putting parts of Russia into a Pripyat-like state. It was like April 26th all over. Lots of particles and metal parts and contaminated objects disintegrated in mid-air, leaving a nasty, fallout like material, which was simply controlled by the wind. Of course, it blew the stuff all the way to Korea, making it an uninhabitable wasteland. At the same time, if things couldn't get worse, this triggered a huge nuclear stockpile to explode within them, wiping all of India, and Vietnam off the map." I looked at this man with disbelief.
"This, all happened while I was asleep?" I asked.
"Uh. Yeah. Now, remnants of the paramilitary force started a resurfacing, after they were wiped out, from China, and eastern Finland, and northeast Russia. That's why you'll be seeing numerous armies scattered about here, the most prevalent force here being the United States Armed forces."
"So, why am I here?" I asked.
"You have a gift. It's like some sort of mutated ESP. You're gonna want to know how to survive here, if you want to solve all of this. I want you, because you have the capabilities, to kill the rest of the leaders of the PMF here, and stop them from doing this. They won't ever release the rest of the stuff, if the leaders are gone. There are 14 of them. From here, I'll put'em on your phone. But first, I must explain to you the system we have here."
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"Alright. You should have 12,000 Rubles. To kill these leaders, you will need lots of stuff. You can keep it in that bag, but you're gonna want to find a bigger bag, that ain't gonna do it for ya. Here, in Vlasmik, we have numerous dealers, or people that buy certain things. Omni dealers, they will buy anything. But, at a lower price than anyone else. We have weapon dealers, or people that buy only guns and ammo, and pay a bigger price for them, and have better variety than omnidealers, but are more expensive. Medical equipment dealers buy medical things, and you can buy them mainly there. Militaria dealers. These guys will allow you to buy things from the military excluding guns, but including things like vests, helmets, jackets, bags. They also pay a high price if you return lost things from the current military forces stationed here. Like helmets, boots, and in some cases, will pay highly for vehicles. Someone got a million rubles for an APC. Nuclear collectors, or Nukeheads as we call them here, will buy anything affected by extreme radiation, which can make it better. For instance, .50 caliber bullets, when affected by radiation, can break up in mid air, into a million pieces of radiated lead, which are deadly in a crowd. When bullet proof vests are affected by radiation, the Kevlar expands, into a seriously hardened surface, which deflects bullets, not including the radiated .50 cals. Sometimes, cell phones can get service from huge amounts of miles around. Anything affected by radiation that improves it, can be sold there. They also sell rad-proof things, like bags for carrying this stuff, and gloves, and suits. Clothing dealers, you can buy things like gloves, boots, hats, or non military made suits, made for going into combat with certain types of weaponry. Food dealers, you can sell or buy food and drinks there. Also, very risky types of dealers are Intel dealers. You have to get to know these guys, though. Mainly, if you obtain military or other types of valuable documents and sell them to these people, they give you information for a small fee, in return. They give you better intel if you bring'em some, and pay some good cash. That's basically all you need to know. Oh, and if you get headaches, just get out of there."
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My mind went blank, and I was standing on the street, again. I didn't even get up. Weird.
"Y'know friend... there is a way to stop yourself." A voice said behind me. I turned around on my feet quick, but no one was near me. A looked forward to where I was, and continued on my path. I had nowhere to go, but to kill a Colonel. Wait, what?
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"Sir, you can't sleep here. Sir! What do we do with him?"
"Search his bag. See if he's got anything on him."
"You may want to take a look at this."
"Wow. This looks... obvious. A gun and 12,000 Rubles. “My eyes lay awake, and I dare not move. I am in a self paralysis. My mind detaches from my body, and floats where I tell it, as my body lay paralyzed.
"Come help me brother, I am in deep regret." I told the closest person. My mind flew back into my body, and I woke up, just in time to a blurry image of a man running through the park, knife in hand.
"Oh my god! Do something!" One of the officers yelled, as one drew his gun, firing on the man. My muscles reacted, involuntarily, and I wedged my foot into the bench, as I lifted myself into the air, and leaped, running as fast as I could.
"What? What the heck is going on? You! Stop!" I was running, I was flying, dodging bullets between my feet as they hit the ground beneath me. I was running faster than anyone before. Buildings whizzed past me, in a blur, as I leaped over the hoods of cars, scared for my life, but repressing my fear. Sounds changed as I passed cars, the wind whooshing. I felt like I was running faster than the cars driving down the street, and I was. I leaped across intersections, and people in awe, as police cruisers flew out from behind corners, guns blazing, as I dodge every single one. I promised myself I would not kill anyone.
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Where I was riding my mind, I did not know. But I knew one thing. Another marker placed on my map that read "Bizcenter" could be seen. Luckily enough, it was on the top floor of a building. Right across the street from my position. More police came around the corner.
"Shoot him!" They yelled, but I had no fear whatsoever. I decided to go around the building, not through the front. I had a feeling that this whole thing I was into was illegal. A fire escape went up the side of a building, so I took that as the best route.
"For Christ’s sake! Aim, you idiots!" The officer yelled. I swung myself onto the fire escape, and proceeded to sprint up the stairs. They were in pursuit, so I pulled a split second trick on them. I dived. Right off of the fire escape. I launched over to the side of an old abandoned factory. I latched myself onto a ledge. I kicked open a window, and happily slid into the old place.
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When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I looked around, hearing the officers below me swearing. I almost didn't believe myself, but I had run into same deep crap, multiple Russian militants looking at me, through their black balaclavas. Eyes wide, I unzipped my bag, slowly sliding in the mag to the gun, and grasping it tightly. 15 rounds to kill about 1... 2... 7 people. Another man came around the corner. My heart skipped a few beats, recognizing him as a colonel I was sent to kill.
"Oh crap!" I shouted, as they jumped, reaching for their rifles, but I was too quick. I was accurate, and only two shots per person sank each one of them. Within 12 seconds, each one was dead, except the colonel. I had planned this according. I had one bullet left. And he slid to the left, reaching for a lone AK sitting on a bench. But I aimed, and fired, the bullet landing right between the eyes, as a red mist and pink and grey matter went flying out the back of his skull. It was a gruesome sight, and I cringed at it, but it had to be done. I unloaded the mag from my pistol, and picked it up, putting it in my bag, making sure I left no trace of my existence here. I slid a new mag into the bottom, and walked over to the scene. I dropped to the floor, and pressed my ear to the floor. I heard footsteps and the familiar sounds of the officers after me. Considering they were innocent, and only doing their job, I stayed there.
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They burst in through the door.
"This is the police! Hands up!" I complied with the order.
"Don't shoot me, please. Look around you." I said. They looked about at the eight dead bodies sitting on the floor. Then they saw the Colonel.
"You did this, no?"
"Yes, I did. But look. You recognize him as a Russian militant Colonel? I just saved you. If you'd walked up here and I wasn't here each one of you would be dead."
"Yes, it seems that. Well, thank you. But, that doesn't excuse you from running from us in the first place." I lied to them, saying:
"I knew this man was here, that's why I ran, you just happened to be in a bad place. Radio in to the American forces in this area, tell them to come here."
"Um. Yes." He said. He flipped on his radio, switching channels. "Sergeant Lorenzo, we've got a situation here, some guy here apparently killed 8 militants. Russian ones. And one of them is a Colonel. Alright, man I've radioed..."
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I was already out of the building, after grabbing an AK, and all the mags closest to me, before I had left. I walked into the building that was marked on my phone. Proceeding up to the top floor, I could hear numerous people talking. I opened the door.
"Come in, don't just stand there." An English voice said to me.
"I was informed to come here." I told him. He pointed at a door marked "banking." "Um... alright." I said. I proceeded into the room.
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"Mr. Vityan...Sender. That's what we have on file for you. Apparently Midway was feeling generous. They left you... Thirty thousand Rubles, for your enjoyment." He handed over a briefcase. I opened it up, and glaring at me were tons of notes. I scooped them all into my bag, realizing my need for a new one; I must've looked stupid with an AK on my back.
"If you don't already know, the various places that it would be wise to spend some money are down the hall." He said to me. I nodded, and walked out.

The first door read "Armory." I pushed open the double doors, and aisles lined the store. A glass counter with someone at the register looked to me.
"Come on in!" They said. I went into the store. I walked over to the counter.
"You buy guns?" I asked. He looked at me.
"It's a gun store. We pay rather well, however." He told me. I smiled to myself.
"How much can I sell this AK 74 for here?" I asked him quietly.
"12,000 Rubles." He told me. I handed it over, and he slid me my money. I looked about at the walls behind him. I decided on which rifle I was to buy. Shotguns, Sniper rifles, Automatic rifles, and explosives lined the walls.
"That one. The uh..." I squinted at the rifle for a second. "M-15 A4..." He turned around and looked.
"The SPR? Sure. 25,000 Rubles." He said to me. I sighed, and digging around my bag, pulled out just enough.
"There. Should be enough." He examined the cash.
"Who... who just has 25,000 rubles in their bag, anyways?" I looked him in the eyes.
"A person who really needs a gun. You been outside in a while?" He laughed. He lifted my new gun off the hooks.
"You want ammo, no?" He asked curiously.
"Uh yeah, 30 magazines, if you will." He looked at me with a strange look.
"I hope you plan to liberate Vlasmik." He told me.
"Something like that." He put the magazines on the counter one by one.
"That's 1500 Rubles, my friend." He said. I handed him the rubles, and slid all the magazines into my bag. It was getting seriously heavy and crammed, so I decided to go find some more things to add to my collection of stuff.
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I walked outside into the hallway, once more, and proceeded to a door marked "Militaria." Inside, the ceilings were lined with camouflage tarps, and aisles to the left of me were full of surplus or used military items.
"Hello, welcome to the Militaria store..." a voice said. It was American, and I turned to my right to see a man behind the counter, who looked like a Marine.
"I don't believe I've seen you here before." He said to me.
"That's because I haven't been here before," I said with a smile.
"Well, let me explain this to you, you don't need to worry much about being mistaken for any faction's combatant around here, because we've removed patches, and the only equipment here is the equipment of the old, and non-existent Vlasmik's Army. After they no longer needed an Army, they got rid of all the equipment, and gave most of the surplus to dealers. It's somewhat advanced, although old by a year, but most of the stuff is up to date or even higher than what they use around here. All the gear here is separated by aisle, as you can see by the signs hung on the aisles, to the left. To the right, are things like socks, knives, bags, and helmets. Choose wisely, the wrong combination of gear can cost you a lot." He explained to me. I nodded to him, and then turned to the left, and I walked slowly down the aisle, making sure to scope out exactly what I wanted. Then, I realized most of the vests were exactly the same. I picked one out, made sure it would fit me. The camo pattern was a combination of ACU, and digital camo, as well as urban camo, and some snowy patterns. I envisioned the streets outside, and the grounds. I looked back at the vest. It would work. I walked back over to the counter, and put the vest on it.
"Is it okay if I put the stuff here, I'm going to be buying a lot, and I'm kind of weighed down, here." I asked him.
"Sure, I don't mind." I turned around, and this time, I went up the backpack aisle. I looked around, at the numerous types of backpacks here. I wanted this biggest one I could find. I passed over the assault packs, and the ambidextrous sling packs, because they were the wrong camo and size. I came upon a "patrol" pack. I picked it up off the shelf, and weighed it in my hands. I looked inside, and there was enough space to fit my stuff in, including my rifle. I brought it back to the counter and laid it on top. As I turned back to go down the other aisle, labeled "gun accessories" I saw the man look inside the bag, making sure I wasn't stealing anything. I picked out a holster, with clips on the back that looked like they fit onto some sort of strap. I proceeded down the other aisle, and picked out two leg platforms. Reading the description, I learned these fit on to your legs, so you could carry more pouches on your legs, than just on the vest. I brought it over to the counter once more.
I walked out, all the stuff I needed was in my backpack. It was pretty heavy, but I could handle it. I had 1350 rubles left, which was not a lot. I needed some way to make more money; I told myself I hadn’t spent it well. I needed a place to sleep, however, and there wasn’t much to choose from. I headed back outdoors once more. I reached the front door, and already before I got outside, my head started feeling weightless. I saw myself, walking outside, but I saw a few American soldiers ducked down behind a wall. They were talking amongst themselves, and in the background, I could see numerous RPK’s stuck out the window. They were pinned down. Immediately, I was in my own head again, and I ran to them. When I got within eyesight of the shooters, they opened fire, and I slid down behind the wall.
“Need some help?” I asked them.
“Yeah, uh, you can fight?” One asked me.
“Of course. I have a gun.” I told them. I took out my rifle, and helmet, and loaded a magazine. I switched it to semi-automatic.
“I’ll let you have those nice goggles over there if you help us. They’re NV goggles! Crap!” He yelled, as a bullet came down right beside him. I nodded, and pulled the charging handle back once. I looked down the sights, and stood up quickly, holding it steady, and making quick work of the three shooters. I pulled the trigger 3 times, and made short work of the terrorist, as I heard them fall to the floor. It was getting dark, and I couldn’t see much.
“Go! Go! Get into that building; I don’t wanna see another terrorist around here again! Now! You, whoever you are, grab that headset, and those goggles. Put’em on, the headset is already tuned in. Quick, follow me. I don’t normally allow civilian contractors to fight.” I nodded, although he should’ve acknowledged I was not a mercenary. I didn’t know who I was. I was my own army. I didn’t bother with my vest, because the pouches weren’t on it, yet. I flicked on the goggles. They worked perfectly. The patches of the flag on the Americans lit up well enough, so I could tell who was friendly. I flicked my gun to Automatic, and followed the soldiers into the building.
“Suppressors on... Besides you, 8.” I heard the leader over the radio. Apparently I was 8. A door blocked our way further into the building. Only god knows what’s on the other side.
“Allow me.” I speak ever so softly into the radio. There were 5 Paramilitary soldiers within the next room. I just knew it. I got a running start as one looked at me in horror, and I body slammed the door, knocking it to the floor. I heard yelling, and commands being ordered, but I was too quick. I shot two down, and one more coming into the room, but two were behind me. I swung my rifle around me, hitting one of them in the face, and punched another one in the chest, putting him on the ground. It took me only two shots, they were sitting ducks.
“All clear.” I said.
“Well, that was easy. “ One of them said.
“Wait! Wait!” I said. I pressed my ear to the floor. Beeping. It was picking up in tempo, and I pulled my head away in horror, a twisted look displayed across my face. “BRACE!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, as the floor gave out, and I was weightless, but flying through the air.
I woke up. Everything was light grey, and dusty, and once more it was daytime. I reached over to my rifle, and luckily, it was still intact. Light shone through a small crack in the debris. My backpack lay a few feet from me. I wasn’t hurt. I got up, and hit my head on debris that was over me. I was buried in a small pocket beneath lots of debris. My helmet was still on my head, but the goggles and radio were mutilated beneath the rocks. I searched around for a few minutes, knowing it was obviously useless to scream for help. I got all my belongings together. I searched around the floor. I felt a metal piece. It was a handle. I saw hinges. I pulled open a door, and a ladder was reaching below into the darkness. I took my chances. It was my only way out.
I stumbled through the darkness, feeling the sides of the tunnel. I could hear running above me, and I thought to myself “What have I done?” I heard explosions above, me, and fighting. Apparently I had caused a huge war over the city. I ran, quicker and quicker, I could not stop. I had caused a massacre. I needed to flee the city. I ran for what seemed like hours, until I reached an opening. My heart skipped a beat, and I saw daylight once more. Yes! My work had finally paid off. I climbed a ladder upwards. Russian words told me where I was going was Ynat. I wondered what could await me here.
It was slightly hilly here. I walked the green grass, and looked behind me. I saw planes and long streaks of AA guns and roars of bombs and fires breaking out all over Vlasmik. I turned the other way. A little less than a mile away, was a massive military encampment. I ran, eager to see who it belonged to. I ran, and ran, and ran. A smile broke out across my face, and I began laughing. I was safe here, finally! But, what if these people were unfriendly? A bullet hit me in the shoulder, I felt my bone crack, and I shouted, as pain twisted up my face. I fell to the ground, and blacked out.
I awoke, hands cuffed behind me, and my items confiscated. I saw through a window, they were going through my things.
“Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing in our minefield?” A man said to me. HE grabbed my head, and whipped it back, and yelled into my face.
“Who the hell are you?! What is your damned business? Tell me, damn it!” my stomach churned, and the muscles in my neck pulled on my shoulder, which was patched up. I spoke to him.
“I don’t know why I am here, but I just came from that city behind here.” I spoke to him. “I’ve been running underground, for the past 3 hours. I was caught in an explosion in a building, helping a few of your men clear a building of the Paramilitants. Honest.”
“You’re lying. I know it!”
“No! No I’m not! I swear!” My eyes were wide with terror, and he pulled a gun from a desk drawer.
“Damn you! Why the hell are you here? You shouldn’t be here for any reason!” He screamed into my face. HE pointed the gun at my head, and flicked off the safety. I freaked out. My hands pulled away, and snapped the chain in half from the cuffs. I flew at him, hitting the pistol from his hand, but he came back with his fist. I dodged his punch, and slammed him into a wall.
“I’m here to speak with whoever is in charge; I know something important he MUST know!” I yelled to him. “I’m sorry I had to use force, but it’s what I’m meant to do.” He looked at me, and smiled.
“I know, sir. I know.” He shook my hand. “I am the highest ranking officer here. Now, what do you need? By the way, this is the base of the United States Armed Forces. “
“I need to know who I am. I was helping your mean clear a building; they asked me to, when a bomb went off, killing them, and nearly killing me. I’ve been meeting strange people, giving me orders to kill these high ranking officers. I know where they are too, it’s like I’ve been here all my life. It’s so odd. I’m not from here, I mean my nationality, I’m from London, but, I don’t feel like it, I feel like I was born and raised here.”
“It’s because you were trained here. I know who you are. Your name may be Russian, but it’s not your real name, anyways. Sender is your codename. We had a combined program with all the other factions friendly towards us in this area, to create a multinational ‘Black Swan’ type of force. We gave you a narcotic, about a year ago, and you completely forgot everything. But you told us everything, about the dream you had in which you snuck into the old apartments in Vlasmik, wanting one more night to sleep there. And you did. That was a dream. But you awoke within a dream. You have ESP, no doubt about it. Your officers and friends would find you missing every night. You’d have a dream, and you’d be there. Wherever your dream would take you, you would be there in real life. Sometimes not. You do have ESP, you may not believe it. Tell me how many soldiers are in this base currently.”
“43, 568. I know that. It’s so strange. Who do I belong to?”
“Everyone. You respond to all factions that are official, none of this paramilitant crap and PLA stuff. You are not to get involved with them. Ever. We know who you’re after. We don’t know where they are, like you do, but we know who. This guy you’re trying to kill, now, is a colonel. We know where he is, unfortunately, he’s hiding in the center of Moscow. You don’t have crap, do you? Take this.” He slid over a small folder. It contained a pass, for me to enter any military checkpoint.
“That’s a HIUP. High Importance Universal Pass. Any military faction here will identify you, and let you go through. Now, you should be on your way, get your gear on, you’re going to drop in with a small fire team, into the center of Moscow.”

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Chapter II
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“Two minutes!” The sergeant shouted, as the door opened up. Our orders were clear; assist the RGF at a large checkpoint, trying to hold off numerous Paramilitants, armed with light vehicles. However, we were receiving heavy AA fire from Moscow’s border; apparently, the militants were setting up for a large invasion of the city. It was time for us to drop, but the militants had a different idea. Suddenly, I couldn’t hear, and the plane I was in was in flames, as I struggled to regain balance. It had exploded, and I was falling through the air, other soldiers around me tumbling down to earth, engulfed in flames. I panicked, and pulled on my chute’s cord, but it wouldn’t open. I tugged on my backup line. Nothing. I looked around. A dead soldier was plummeting towards the ground. I hated to do this, but I needed to. I dropped down to his level, and undid the pack from his shoulders. I took off my own chute, and slipped his on, and pulled on the cord. Success. The chute opened up, and I dropped to the street, moments later.

I got up, and pulled my rifle into my grip, as I loaded a magazine. The militants were already pounding the checkpoint, trying to invade Moscow. I shot off rounds, killing crowds of them, but they kept on coming back. Explosions rocked the street, as we mowed down all of them. In the distance, a tank was rumbling up the street. It aimed at us, and fired. I got back up, but it was too late. They had broken through, and were running into the middle of the city. I got into a building, hiding beneath the flight of stairs. As they came into the building, I shot them down. At last, all was quiet.