《Stef》


 Stefanie

    The convoy is moving from Resita to Bucharest,the capital of The Socialist Republic of Romania.Andrei Harkov doesn''t know what''s going on,he was woken up by the DGSP 10 minutes ago,he doesn''t know where his wife and daughter are,if they are safe,all he knows is that something important happened,or is about to happen.Unbeknownst to him,the convoy was headed to the Supreme Leader''s residence.The day earlier he was celebrating his victory in Afghanistan,where he and his men crushed an insurgency and now he is facing execution or something far worse.He was confused.The convoy stops.The truck door opens.Supreme Leader Nicolae Ceausescu is looking at him.He says:


    -You did well in Afghanistan,I am sorry for this,but I want to keep my important staff safe,your actions deemed you worthy of a promotion.Henceforth,you will be a general in The Romanian People''s Army ,I will have some things arranged for you back home.Now go,I need to meet with Gorbachev.


    -Thank you sir,it has been an honor.Andrei said.


    1 month later,the daughter of Andrei, Stef ,,who was 17 years old at the time,is approached by a man in a who was wearing a a suit,an eyepatch and a beret.The man had a western feel to it,the girl could tell it just by smelling his aftershave.He looked at her for like a minute or so,most likely to be sure that he approached the right person and then he started saying,with a foreing accent:


    -So you are Stef ,I''ve been told so many good things about you.I know that your parents told you not to talk with strangers,but I am not here to hurt you,I am here to help you,but you have to promise me to keep your mouth shut about it.


    -I guess I have to promise,she said,you wouldn''t help me otherwise,with whatever you want to help me,and regardless,what are you going to do,kill me with cold blood in the street?


    The man then explained that he works with a third party,someone who is interested in her dad,someone who wants her to bring classified documents related to the Communist agenda,secret projects,operations,everything.


    Stef then replied:


    -And why would I,of all people,help you?You would take the files and vanish and I''ll die.That was some really good talk,but I have a date planned and I am running late.


    -Your father is a general in the army,he is a dangerous man,if you don''t help us,the world as you know it will never be the same,we have good info,but we don''t have the paper signed by Ceausescu,we don''t know if what we have is just fake news,we need you.I will make arrangements for you,and,if you want,your family,to get you out of the country.As a token of trust,you will bring the files directly to the White House.


    -I will keep that in mind,she replied.How will I contact you?


    -You have 1 week to decide,then I''ll see you right here,in this exact same spot,at the exact same hour,don''t be late,this is a unique opportunity.He then tips his hat and leaves.


    After getting home from her date,she asks her dad about his line of work,something she has never done before.He,excited by the fact that his baby girl is asking about his work for the first time,right after his promotion,showed her some documents and said that he works with the Supreme Leader and the Soviet Union on something big.The girl then thought of what the stranger told her and asked her dad:


    -What is this "something big" thing all about?


    He then said:


    -It will make the world a better place,well,at least for us,and then he giggled.


    The week has passed,and Stef had to make a choice,betray her country,her father and join this misterious man,or report him to the DGSP,and be called a hero?


    Stef ,remembering his father''s words "at least for us",reconsidered her relationship to the stranger.She proceeded to the meeting,thinking of what she is about to do,she knows that if she doesn''t do something,the world as she knew it could be gone in a matter of days,maybe weeks or months.


    The stranger meets her and says:


    -So.have you made up your mind?Are you willing to leave this life behind?


    -I have seen seen my father laughing at the fact that people might die,I am ready as hell.


    -Perfect,a black car,with government plates will wait for you at the city square at tomorrow at midnight.You will enter it.The men will take you to the border,no one will ask anything because you will be in a state official car.After you get out of the country,some traders will take you all the way up to France then the United Kingdom.Then you will embark a merchant''s ship that will take you to Washington DC for debriefing.Keep in mind that you might have to memorize everything,every file,just in case you lose them.You made the right choice.


    Stef began studying every file that her father had while he was asleep.Knowing that she doesn''t have much time until sunrise,she memorized dates and names first,then the details.


    She was up all night reading classified files.She saw things that no child should ever see,detailed records of torture,weapons programs,mind control experiments,synthesization,whatever that meant and more horible stuff.She knew that it would be heartbreaking to leave,but it is the only way to save everything.


    In the evening,when her parents went to sleep,Stef took the files and and made a run for city square.At midnight a black car appeared,just like the man said it would.Two men,in black suits,with hats,got out of the car and said:


    -Come,you have somewhere to be.


    The girl asked,just to be sure:


    -Who are you?Indentify yourselves,I am the daughter of General Harkov.


    -We are with the american team,we have to go,now!


    Stef boarded the car and hid the documents in her backpack,which she took with her,along with some clothes.


    At the state border,an officer asked where they are headed.The man in the driver seat showed him a red pass with the Soviet Union''s Star with a Hammer and a Sickle.


    The officer stood one second to think about what he is seeing"It can''t be real he thought",his thinking session was interrupted by the man in the passeinger seat told him that they are on duty,that they have to cross the border now,or he will face repercussions.


    Stef couldn''t hold it much longer,she has just witnessed a border patrol officer almost having a heart attack.When they passed the border,she started laughing unironically at the whole ordeal.The man in the passenger seat winked at her and said that the hard part is gone.He didn''t knew how wrong he was.


    The men said their farewells and returned to the country.The traders picked her up and delivered her straight to english merchants.What she didn''t know is that she was tracked by the DGSP.When she reached the new continent,she was as happy as she was sad,she knew that she will miss her old life,but she knew that the stakes are much higher than personal gain.The merchants told her that they can''t wait for the agents,they were instructed to leave when she reached land.Stef told them that it''s ok,they would probably wait for her there.


    She left the boat and thanked the sailors for their help.When they left,an unmarked car showed up,Stef was relieved to see that they arrived.The man in the passenger seat gets out and says:


    -So you are the daughter of General Harkov,you don''t know how much trouble you caused us.


    The girl started laughing and said:


    -You don''t know how much trouble you caused me.


    The man pulled up a romanian made handgun and said:


    -Oh,but I do.and then he shoots her dead and takes her backpack.


    Mere seconds later after the DGSP agents leave,the real american team arrives on scene.The eyepatch man yells at his men and says:


    -Pitty,you would have been such a good agent,load her in the truck,we will take her to Site Delta.


    -Site Delta,said a soldier,are you insane?Site Delta is where we make some unethical things.


    -Did I stutter,I know what Site Delta is,I opened it,now let''s go,her brain won''t be fresh for much longer.


    As the blast doors opened,the men made their way in the facility.Almost an hour has passed when a soldier said:


    -Sir,it would appear that we arrived to late,we can''t extract anything from her brain.


    -Put her in the synthesizator,if we can''t get the info out of her,she will tell us.


    -Do you even know how mad you sound,there have been no succesful synthetizations done,never.What you are saying is that you will give this stranger the potential to kill all of us just to get informations from her,we will find another way.


    -Shut the fuck up Colonel,I am in charge here,we don''t have time.


    -If this goes sideways,I will never forgive you.


    -Neither will I,now go!


    DGSP agents,at the behest of The Supreme Leader stormed the compound and found that the documents were gone,they asked Andrei Harkov about their whereabouts and then it struck him.He realised why Stef asked him about his line of duty.She betrayed him to go and live with the americans.He wouldn''t live long enough to regret her daughter''s actions,an agent shot him 2 times in the chest and 1 in the head,black ops style,his wife somehow escaped the assassination attempt and hid somewhere,DSS agents decided to close down the city.The Supreme Leader fled from his residence in Bucharest and moved to an undisclosed location.


    Meanwhile,at Site Delta


    -Even if your little "experiment succeds",she might not even be able to remember anything,she will be more machine than human and that will mess her up real bad.


    -Leave that to me,initiate single reactor ingition.


    -Don''t say that I didn''t warn you.


    -Just do it for Pete''s sake,no one has got the time for this,especially her.


    -Here goes nothing...


    Nothing happened,the colonel was expecting to see vital signs,but he was unaware that there was nothing human in that body,only hardwires and plates.Stef opened her eyes,was stunned to see that she made it,but something didn''t feel right.She asked:


    -I made it,but something doesn''t feel right,what happened.


    -Let me tell you a little story,the eyepatch man said,one year before I met you,I was overseas conducting an operation,when I was attacked by soviets.A sniper saved my ass,dressed pretty,how can I put it,pretty undressed actually,she had company,another eyepatched man,so we got along pretty easily,when I wanted to make small talk with her,this guy said that she isn''t mute,but she doesn''t speak.I didn''t knew it then,but she had a virus that gave her ultrasenses,like breathing through her skin,moving super fast,even making herself invisible.I told them that if they need anything,I''ll help,they left me.One week before I met you,this beautiful lady sniper that saved me,showed me what is wrong with her,she was alone,I didn''t ask why,but she wanted me to make her live without the virus.I said that I will make it compatible only with her body,she accepted,after I managed to combine her virus with her DNA,I told her that she can speak,she thanked me,hugged me as hard as she could,and let me tell you something,she had it in her,and told me that she left everyone he cared about to not make them sick,she told me that she owes me one,and that I can contact her when I need help,even though she saved me first.In conclusion,I save people,I saved her from a world of pain and I saved you from a critical condition named Death.Yeah,you were followed by foreing agents.


    -Thank you,I guess.


    -What do you remember?


    -Everything.From the moment I was born,I remember every single step I took,what have you done to me?


    -I made you more than human,I took somethings from you,but I have given you something much more important than that.I took your brain,your mind,and I gave you a new body.Your old body couldn''t sustain your conscience,I took the liberty to remove you from it.Now I need you to tell me everything that you have learned about the communist agenda,after,I will teach you how to fight,how to survive.


    He exclaimed:


    -Colonel,leave us alone for a moment.Good,I don''t really trust him,after I train you,we will go and,officially,observe Ceausescu''s next moves,but unofficially,we will have some fun.With your new body you will be able to learn everything you see,to feel everything that surrounds you,you will no longer need to live the normal life,you can be so much more.We leave for Bucharest next week for intel gathering and then we will move the operations centre in Resita.


    After the eye patch man extracted the doccuments from Stef and gave them to his american supervisors,they started training.First,they started with hand to hand combat,he thought her how to break a spine,how to silence someone and how to carry bodies efficiently,he knew that if she experiences every type of move,she will remember it .The next day he trained her in small weapons combat,how to move and shoot,how to keep track of a guns recoil and how kill rushing animals.Later in the evening,he showed her how to shoot with rifles,this part was easier because most of what he taught her earlier applies here.The next few days he thaught her everything about the russian language and culture,he told her secrets that the romanian government wouldn''t want anyone to know,like the oppresion of free speech.Stef started seeings the man as a father figure,but she was afraid to ask his name,thinking that he would give her a codename or something .


    The week has come to an end,Stef knew that even if she dies,she will die for the greater good,but she didn''t knew if she would go to hell or to heaven,or if she will be stuck in limbo due to her new,unnatural life.


    The eyepatch man came to her,dressed in a waterproof,most likely spec-ops gear,suit and for the first time,she saw him without his beret.Stef thought that he hid a blind spot or something,but now she was more curious about his eyepatch,she thought that a man of intelect and with his resources,would get his eye fixed,after all,he manipulated virus strings and stopped Death from taking me,there has to be something with him.


    -So,how may I call you mister?Stef asked.


    -My codename is Dr. Death,but you can call me Lee,Frank Lee,the eyepatch man said.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.     -I am Stefanie,but you already knew that,at least I now know your name,nice to meet you Lee.


    Lee told Stef to get dressed,becuase they have a long road ahead and he doesn''t want them to be late.


    The girl hasn''t left the facility as of yet,she didn''t even see the majority of it.She was amazed,she has never seen such things as underground helipads or reinforced doors,but she knew that there is no time for that,she knew that she has a job to do.Lee told her to board the helicoper from Bay 2.It was a medium sized,clearly american made,attack helicopter,with 2 normal doors,for the pilot and copilot and 2 sliding doors for the passengers.It wasn''t knew,or anything,but she has never seen one before,but they had to go.The chopper took them an airstrip,where they met with Major General Ridgeway,an influential man within the US army.He made sure that they will reach Bucharest.


    General Ridgeway got them on a stealth plane,to evade detection.They were to parachute near Bucharest''s outskirts.During the flight,Stef asked Lee if what he did to her would have an impact on her life,if she would be normal.He said,calmly,that the only normal thing about her,at this point,is her skin.She didn''t have anything human left,except her consicence,she couldn''t procreate,but she could feel the pleasures that a night with someone might have,she isn''t required to eat anymore,she doesn''t need to sleep,but,perhaps,those changes are for the worst.


    He could see hear shaking,he could see right through her the pain that he has inflicted,but they both knew that without him,she would just be in an unmarked grave.


    The cabin was silent.No one could say anything.The silence came to an end when the pilot said that they are entering the Socialist Republic of Romania''s airspace and that he would shut down all the lights to keep the heat signal to a minimum.


    Stef started crying,she didn''t knew what to do.She stood still for a time and then said:


    -Thank you.


    -For what?Lee said.


    -For everything.I might not like what you have done to me,but at least you kept me alive and for that I am grateful,I will make it up to you,I promise.


    Looked at her,he knew that she wouldn''t be ok after the transfer,but he proceeded to take her to the place that she wanted to leave behind.He knew that if there is a hell,he most likely will go there.


    A red light blipped in the cabin,Lee was scared,she thought that they''ve been found,then the pilot says:


    -Prepare to jump,you will have a very small window of opportunity.3.2.1.Jump!


    As they made their descend,they saw the trucks and trucks of wheat.They wondered Stef wondered why,but Lee knew the answer,the communists are selling everything.They couldn''t afford to keep going otherwise.


    The city felt empty,it was nothing like New York,everyone was at home after 10 o''clock.The only people roaming the streets were construction workers and DSS agents.


    They proceeded,during the cover of the night to go to The Supreme Leader''s house.It wouldn''t be that hard of a task to make their way through the city,but they knew that the residence itself would be surrounded by The Patriotic Guard.


    The duo,armed with unmarked,suppressed precision rifles make their way to Ceausescu''s house.Stef said:


    -This is no house,this is an entire compound.


    Lee laughed and said:


    -There are actors in America that have houses bigger than him.


    Stef giggled and they proceeded to infiltrate the house.Lee told Stef to try to not kill the guards,because they don''t want to leave any traces.It was pitch black in the house,Lee took out his night vision goggles and asked Stef if she needs a pair.She looked surprised,saying that she can see in the darkness that she once feared.


    Lee sees an opportunity.He sees a tree that could get them in the interior garden.They climb the tree and touchdown in the east corner of the garden.She sees just how many flowers Elena,the wife of The Supreme Leader planted,she is impressed,but she knows that if Lee asks her to kill her,she wouldn''t hesitate.She knew that for every happy thing she sees,someone paid an expensive for it.Lee takes point, he instructs Stef to stay behind him.They make their way to the cinema,the place where the Ceausescu family likes to watch movies.Instead of the Ceausescu couple,they find some guards watching an old western.They proceed to the bedroom,but it seems that they are out of luck,no one was there.They check the kids bedrooms,but no one was there.Lee knew that under the house was an emergency bunker,and in the case that they are not in there,at least there would be detailed information on their whereabouts.Stef then overhears two guards speaking about the bunker.They spoke about the secret door that is in the guest bathroom.She tells Lee about what she heard and then he whispers:


    -I heard rumours about the secret door,let''s go,I might have an idea.


    Lee looked for any sign of a secret door,Stef stood on the wall,looking at him conducting the search.She then said:


    -You know,I''ve seen my fair share of movies,have you even tried the toiled paper stand?


    -You what?


    -This one.She then turns the holder a bit to the right.


    A big chunk of tiles spinned,revealing a secret pathway.Lee grunts and makes the "watch my behind" hand gesture.The go down a set of staircases and then find it,the bunker door.It was unlocked,it would appear that someone didn''t do their job.Lee looks for every signed document from the last month,he doesn''t find anything useful.He finds a document written by one Alex Partin,stating that The Supreme Leader took refuge in one of his mountain facilities,after the coup d''etat orchestrated by Andrei Harkov''s daughter,Stef.The report also stated that Andrei Harkov was killed and that the official cause of death is "death by suicide".Lee decided to withhold this information from Stef.He knew that she deserved to know the truth,but he also knew that she isn''t mentally stable enough,not at the moment at least,to hear about her father''s passing.


    -We have what we need to narrow the search,let''s get out of here.Lee whispered.


    Making their way through the house,Stef came to the conclusion that they can''t just kill The Ceausescu family,they had to destroy the entire system,but all she could think about was revenge.She was certain that her father sent those men after,but she wasn''t sure about it.She suggested a small trip to the DSS headquarters in Bucharest.Perhaps they might find something useful there.


    -I don''t have a complete map of the place,perhaps General Ridgeway might now something,but I don''t know if he would help us.


    -Call him,we need to at least be sure.


    -Even if I call him,we won''t make it in time,we only have one hour until sunrise.


    -We''ll go at sunset,not a big deal,we''ll just have to hide somewhere.


    -Have it your way,I''m calling Ridgeway,but don''t get your hopes up.


    Lee called Ridgeway,he was afraid that the DSS might pick up his transmission.He knew that they would have to act fast if they were to be intercepted.At least they had a chance at not blowing it.The DSS HQ''s codename was Rodion.He was sure that the codebreakers would take some time with the nickname,but knew that they wouldn''t have much time.Ridgeway gave him the schematics of the building,but something seemed odd.He didn''t gave so much thought though,as a truck approaches.He thought that the night shift was done,but instead of Patriotic Guards,Romanian People''s Army rushed in the house.


    -Let''s go,we''ve got company,Lee said.


    Lee boosted Stef on a ledge and then she helped him get on the roof,they jumped in a bush and made their way to the city sewers.When they reached an underground hub,Lee told Stef to take a break and watch his back,as he was going to take a nap .Stef thought to herself "I don''t need to sleep,but I''ve been up al night".She then remembered what drove her.Sure,the upgrade helped,but all she can see is revenge.She even thinks about killing Lee,as he sleeps,for taking her humanity from her,but she saw through her urge,she knew that Lee isn''t a saint,but he is her guardian angel.She thought about leaving him."What if I go alone,he won''t be in danger,but if they catch me,I might face something worse then death.But I am ready".She then took Lee''s rifle and counted the bullets that he had.She counted 3 mags worth of bullets.She also had 3 more mags.But she knew that if the Army steps in,she won''t have enough to kill all of them.It didn''t matter,because Lee woke up and said:


    -I know what you want.You want revenge,but you won''t get it unless we work together.I am not asking you to trust me,I am just asking you to follow me.We have enough bullets to attack at night.But if something goes wrong,we will have to leave.


    She nodded and said:


    -You are the mastermind.Now,lead the way.


    Lee saw through her,he saw her urge to kill.He didn''t knew if her new body drives her or she drives it.What he knew was that she had to learn the truth about her father,but not now.


    The time is 7pm,Lee told Stef that they would leave at "2000" and that she had to have her gear ready by then.


    Stef and Lee took a good look at the building schematics.Stef noticed an entry point that was supposedly unguarded.Stef opened a hatch.She peaked through.No one was in sight.She boosted herself and told Lee to come.Stef saw two agents that spoke about a target.She knew that if she wouldn''t stop them,they would kill an innocent person.


    Despite Lee''s command,she chased after them.Even if she was wearing boots,she didn''t make a sound.She pulled her knife with the left hand and her silenced pistol with the right one.She grabbed the first agent and help her knife to his throat.She then told the agent,in romanian,to turn around slowly.She then shot him twice in the chest and once in the head and asked the other agent:


    -Do you recongize this shooting style,hmm?Now be a good boy and tell me where Ceausescu is,or else I''ll have your head.


    -Foolish girl.I''d recognize that temper from a million.I thought we killed you.


    -Next time you should dispose of the evidence.


    -Why would I help you?You are just rebel scum.


    He then tries to gain control over the situation,he tries to overpower her,but she just slits his throat.Lee is looking in disbelief.He knew that she had it in her,the killer instict,but she hoped that she wouldn''t make her first victim on her first assignment.


    Lee says:


    -Throw them in the sewer,we can''t leave them here.They won''t see the blood on their stupid red carpets at night,but they will clearly see the bodies.And for the record,you did great,but please don''t lose your shit again.He seemed to know where Ceausescu is.


    She didn''t say a word,she knew that what she did was wrong.She knew that they were bad people,but she just lost control.She let her inner demon do her bidding.She felt as powerful as she felt weak.She felt anger,as well as remorse.She knew that she did it by the book,but perhaps that book wasn''t for her to open.Whatever was left of the innocent girl was now gone.There was no turning back,and for a impulse,that drove her mad.But,she then realized that she felt alive.She was the judge,the jury and the executioner.She wanted to deal more justice,but she has also seen what she has become."Something more",she thought.Lee thought her how to non lethally dispatch of a foe,but she went all in.And she felt every single bit.


    Lee told her to get her knife cleaned.To Lee''s surprise,she licked it and said:


    -I thought that blood would have a better taste.The Count lied to me.


    -This is not a game Stef.Also,Ridgeway gave us a busted map.I don''t know if it is old or he just fucked with us.But this hallway doesn''t exist.We will have to split up,at least for now,to cover more ground.


    Stef has spotted a guard.He clearly wasn''t an agent.He was just a security guard.She stood there,motionless.She wanted to kill him.She wanted to justify her action by stating that he was communist scum.Before she proceeded to grab him,she saw his face.He was her boyfriend''s father,Anton,the man that always invited her to family dinner,the man that got her out of some legal trouble for shoplifting,the man that treatet her like his own daughter,the man that she saw as an a father while her real father was busy killing civilians in Afghanistan.With a tear in her eye,she retreated.Anton didn''t spot her.He then left the hallway,most likely to take a leak.She thought that maybe,the men she killed also had an innocent soul to protect,but there was no time for grief,she came here to find intel on Ceausescu.


    Lee found the server room.There were no coordinates,but he found out that Ceausescu is with his family in Caras County."Jackpot",he said.She contacted Stef on her radio and instructed her to leave by the sewer system.When she tried to open the door to the boiler room,the room that housed the hatch,she felt the barrel of a pistol curling through her hair.The man behind the barrel whispered:


    -Turn around,slowly.


    Stef knew that she could overpower him,so,she took his gun and pointed it at him.She saw that the man was Anton,her old friend,the father of her boyfriend.He asked:


    -Stefanie,is that you,is that really you?I thought they killed you. He wanted to hug her,be she rejected it.Stef,how did you get here,do you work for Big Brother?I can''t believe it.


    Lee watched from the cover of the night at what Stef was about to do.H wanted to see if she could kill someone she loved.


    -I am no longer the Stefanie you knew,I changed,you were like a father for me,but I can''t let you live,if I let you live,they might torture and kill you later,I am sorry...


    -Stef,what do you mean?


    -I am sorry...


    -That''s enough,Lee said,with a certain anger in his voice.You don''t need to kill him.We can use him,he is a good man.Jesus Christ Stef,this man loves you,but we need to make him disappear.Bring one of the corpses out.Anton,good thing that you wear dentures.Spit them out,we will use them to make you "die".


    Lee picks the dead agents teeth out and leaves Anton''s dentures there.He then burns the body to make it unrecognizable.They leave through the hatch and make their way back to the city outskirts.Lee had one of his friends set up a government official car,to make it through checkpoints.


    -So,what happens next?Stef asked


    -We are going home,your home,Resita.I know a guy who knows a guy that can offer us a safe place to stay,a warehouse,but we will have to ditch the car before we enter the city.The Militia know Anton and will most likely blow his cover.

 Homecoming

    Barzava River is a small,liniar river.It wasn''t perfect,but it was excelent for them to enter the city unnoticed.The city was built over the river.You could even stand up in it and not be noticed due to the high surrounding walls.The warehouse was placed near the river.It was still dark outside when they decided to take shelter in the warehouse.Lee wanted to put down his rifle when he heard a voice say:


    -Put your weapons down gentlemen,lady,you are not welcome here.


    Lee recognized the voice.It was George.His friend.


    Lee said:


    -George,it''s me Frank


    -Frank,Frank Lee?,I thought that you would come alone.


    -I told you about the girl,but he,he is...


    -...he is a communist,George ponted at Anton with the barrel of his rifle as he interrupted Lee.


    -He is a friend,Lee added.


    George was a pretty tall guy,but he sure loved his pork chop.He wore a boonie hat and a pair of camo trousers.He had the face of one of the good guys,but Stef knew that he wouldn''t be able to help her with her training.


    George added:


    -So you are the Girl Wonder,the latest in Lee''s projects.You are from Resita,but I''ve never seen you before.I want to hear your story,Lee didn''t choose you at random,you are special,care to take a drink with me?


    -Sure old man,but beware,I can take a few shots.


    -Me too kid,me too.


    Some time later,George takes a nap.Stef then thought:"Well,that was easy"


    Lee stood behind her the whole time,she knew that he was there,but she didn''t a word,she wanted him to break the silence,which eventually he did.


    -George is a good man,but he can be a bit rude at times,don''t let it get to you though,because he likes you.


    -I can see,we emptied his bottle.Lee?


    -Huh?


    -What about Anton?


    -What about him?


    -Is he aware of my new self?


    -I didn''t tell him,I guess it''s for the best,but you can tell him.It would be better if you did.Take a nap,it won''t feel as it used to,but at least you might have a dream.Tomorrow will be a long day.


    Stef couldn''t sleep,she felt rested.She looked at George as he woke up.He whispered:


    -Damn girl.You clearly have a strong will.


    -Thanks,she giggled.


    George started his TV.He wanted to watch a movie when the program went dark.It came back a few seconds later.He knew that this can only happen if something important went down.He was right.A news broadcast took over his TV.The news host said:"A terrible tragedy happened last night as Anton Pop was found incinerated at his job as a security guard.The authorities are not telling us the cause."


    Anton woke up when he heard his name and said:


    -I''ll be damned,it worked.


    Stef asked him:


    -How do you feel?Did Julian pass his exams at the academy?


    -Yeah,he passed.I encouraged him to become a lawyer,but he wanted to be "The Army Man",just like your father,and look where that got him.


    -Where did it get him?Stef asked.


    -Haven''t you heard the news?He killed himself.I guess he figured out how much of a monster he was.


    -It should have been an emotional thing.I''ve seen other kids lose their parents,but I really don''t feel anything.What about Ma?


    -I don''t know,no one heard from her since...


    -...since when?


    -Since you left.


    Anton then hugged her and said:


    -Don''t worry,we''ll find her.You are with me now.How do you feel?


    Stef wanted to tell him about what happened,but she thought that it might break his heart.She didn''t want him to suffer at the thought that she was dead.


    -Well,pretty good for a dead girl.Welcome to the club.


    Lee woke up.He heard his radio transmitting.It was Ridgeway.He said:"You blew it,don''t you ever do something like this ever again unless I order you to."Lee didn''t buy it.He said:"Imperialist pig,bossing me around".


    Anton came to Lee and said:


    -So,you must be Doctor Death,I heard about you.I wouldn''t have recongized you if it weren''t for your eyepatch.What is your business with Stef,Doc?


    -We are here on a non official assignment.We are here to recon the area.The american didn''t like it that we took the liberty to kill some agents.But I couldn''t care less about his agenda.I want you to make sure that Stefanie feels good.She had some down time as of lately.She told me about you.You were like a father to her and for that I trust you to take care of her,on an emotional level.I took care of her physical abilities,but you need to take care of her soul.She is young.People her age usually go on dates and laugh at old men.I don''t haven''t met,as of yet,a 20 year old trained assassin.


    -I will take good care of her,but you have to promise me that you won''t get her killed.


    "Too late for that"Lee thought to himself.


    -I can keep an eye on her.


    Anton started laughing.Lee,realising what he just said,cracked a smile and said:


    -Relax,she is safe with me.They don''t call me Doc for nothing.


    The sun was already up,George,with his soviet rifle on his back,came with a box.


    He opened it and said:


    -That''s all I have,for now.Carbine rifles and suppresed sub-machine-guns.


    -That would be just enough,Lee said as Stef proceeded to load her new rifle.


    Lee looked at Stef.She thought that she did something wrong again.She asked:


    -What''s wrong?


    Lee said:


    -Excuse me,it''s not you.Ridgeway called.He wants us to stay down.


    -What did you tell him?


    -To put a stick up his ass.


    Stef laughed and said:


    -What is he going to do,stop us?He wouldn''t leave America for shit.


    -You''re right,Lee said,but now is not the time to mock Ridgeway,we''ll find time for that later.We have to find a way to break out the resistance leader.He is a bulky guy,with long hair and a beard,can''t miss him.He is scheduled for execution tomorrow morning.We have to break him and his associates out tonight.Any idea?


    -Can I say something?Anton asked.


    -Yes you may,but you aren''t coming with us.


    -That''s what I wanted to imply,I can''t let Stef alone,just with you.


    -Why?She did fine her first time,Lee added.


    -She was lucky,if I didn''t recognize her,I would have killed her.


    -Uncle Anton,Stef said,I would have killed you,now,let''s not talk about it,it makes me feel uncomfordable.


    -If you need anything,don''t hesitate to tell me.I am here for you.


    -Very emotional,Lee said,but we have a job to do.Now.I can see a blind spot for us to enter.Guards don''t roam around here and there are no cameras.But it is at the far end of the facility.


    -We''ll take it,Stef said.


    -Are you sure that that''s where we breach?


    -I don''t see any other way.Besides,you came with the plan.


    -There is always another way.Sewage systems,skydiving...


    -What do you propose?


    -I was thinking about the sewers.The river makes for a great escape,as it leads back here.But we can''t let them track us.Skydiving,but then we would have to find an exit.Or,this backdoor.You know what?What if we skydive and then exfiltrate trough the blind spot.


    -I don''t know Lee,I could take it,could you?


    Lee smiled and said:


    -I''m not as old as you think I am.


    The cover of the night let them climb the hill that oversaw the prison unnoticed.There was only one problem,they''d have to adjust for the wind that started howling that night.


    Lee made his adjustments for the wind,but Stef said:"You only live twice."and jumped.Lee stood on the hill as he watched her graciously descent near the cages in which the prisoners were held.After he made his calculations,he jumped as well.When he reached the ground,Stef came to him and jokingly said:"Coward".


    -Very funny,Lee said,but next time I''d advise you to be more careful.Prisoner 627 should be at least to detention blocks ahead.Try not to alert any guard.


    -What''s the worst that can happen?She then replied with a smug expression on her face,as she played with her knife.


    -Well,here''s a word of advice.Just because you are with me,it doesn''t mean that you can''t be held responsible,in the event of someone finding out who you are,for those people''s deaths.You are still killing them,that is a capital crime.Rigdeway might be a dick,but we can''t just kill everyone who crosses our path.That comes later,I promise.You will have to kill,but you won''t want to.


    -I understand.But if I have to,I won''t hesitate.


    -That''s what I trained you for,now let''s find 627 and his acolytes and leave this damned place.


    A guard stood at the entrace of Block C.Stef wanted to lure him in the shadows and get rid of him,but Lee had a better plan.


    -What if we lure him away,instead of here?Lee asked.


    -That might do it,Stef answered,but he might come back and blow our cover.


    -I''ll make sure that he won''t,but I want you to go and fetch 627 and the company.


    -I''ll get it done.To the best of my abilities.


    -I expect nothing less.


    Lee started to clap.The prisoners from his surroundings started clapping as well.The guard from Block C and the one from Block B came to stop them.Stef took this opportunity to break 627 and the company out.She broke the door with a pair of boltcutters and instructed them to follow her.When the guard from Block C came back to inspect the prisoners.He saw that the most dangerous criminals left.He rang the alarm.That''s when Stef and Lee realized that they don''t have much time.It didn''t matter.All they had to do was to leave.As they made it back to the warehouse,they heard police cars and helicopters roaming the area.They knew that the warehouse might be busted any second now.They asked George if he had a panic room or something well hidden.George led them to a small cellar that was also his gun stash.He said:


    -If they couldn''t find me guns,they won''t find you.


    -I hope that you are right.


    As they closed the cellar door they heard banging on the main door.They knew it.The police was there.They all stood still as George,who told them that he was watching television and didn''t see anyone enter his property.They didn''t buy it.They then started searching the warehouse.As an officer wanted to open the cellar door,his radio started beeping.The dispatcher told them to go to another warehouse.Someone tipped them with a lie so that they could make it out in one piece.


    After the last officer left the house,627 opened his mouth and said:


    -Thank you,I would have been a corpse if it weren''t for you.I won''t ask you how you did it,but I want to ask you your names.I want to at least know who saved me and my men.


    -Stefanie,friends call me Stef,nice to meet you,Stef said as she tried to shake his hand to seal their friendship.This grumpy friend of mine is Lee and the safe house owner is George.


    -They called me Boss,but you can call me Robert.They call me Boss because they owe me something.By my logic,I will call you Boss because I owe you something.My life.Now,what do you want us to do?


    -Do you still have influence in Timisoara?Lee asked.


    -I have a few contacts,why?


    -That''s our next stop.


    -But how are we going to leave the city?Stef asked.


    -The same way that we came in.Lee answered.


    There have been a few western influenced uprisings in The Socialist Republic of Romania.But none were as powerful as the ones from Timisoara,also called Little Vienna or the City of Flowers.Nicolae Ceausescu forwarded all city outskirts guards to points of interest as the Timisoara Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral and the Green Forest Monument.These 2 specific places are known to house secret meetings with priests,city council members and business owners that want to get rid of communism in the West.That would mean that Robert would not be able to meet with his suppliers.At least there was a silver lining.They could enter the city unnoticed.


    Lee suggested that they should enter the city through the rail road because the security was pretty much non existent.No one complained.Robert said that he knows a guy that lives near the rail road.That was everything that they had to hear.


    Lee asked Robert:


    -So,how are we going to get in touch with your friends?


    -I am going to the cathredal,alone,unarmed,with plain clothes.Maybe I will find the priest there and he will tell me when the next meeting will occur.


    -Are you sure that you won''t get noticed?Stef asked.


    -They might know me.Or at least they know the bearded,long haired me.Pass me the razor.Let''s hope that they don''t recongize me without my hair.


    -Were you always like this?Stef asked.


    -Not quite.I started growing my hair 10 years ago,as a sign of protest against the system.They won''t recognize me,but if they stop me,I''m done.I have no ID and I am also a fugitive.


    -Let''s hope that your little plan works.Lee said.I am not breaking your ass again.


    -I am pretty sure that they would just shoot me on sight this time,so,no harm done.


    -We are counting on you.Stef enthusiasticly said.


    Robert couldn''t take any chances.He followed side roads and alleys to mask himself.As he approached the cathredal,he managed to hide himself in the crowd of pilgrims that came to say their prayers.He saw the priest,but he knew that he couldn''t speak to him.Not just yet.He needed to wait for everyone else to leave.


    Almost all pilgrims left.It was just Robert and another man.He didn''t have the look of a repentant.As this shady individual approached Robert,the priest came and told him that he is one of them.


    -Quite a hired gun you''ve got Father,Robert said.


    -Ah,don''t mind him,you should see the other guys.You''ve got some balls coming here.Every black coat in the west is looking for you.At least you got rid of that stupid ponytail and beard.


    -Father,I know that everyone is looking for me.But I have some friends now,american.You need to get in touch with the syndicate.I have a good feeling about this.


    -Wait a minute,what americans?They always destroy everything that they touch.


    -Without them,I and my resitean associates would be in a coffin right now.At least I owe them that much.


    -I will make the arrangements,but you have to promise me one thing.


    -What is it Father?


    -You will leave Timisoara at once and coordinate a plan of action.We can''t take the west without Resita and Arad.I''ve got some contacts in Arad who are willing to die for freedom.I hope that you''ve still got your influence in Resita.


    -I have to speak to my men,I don''t know if we have enough fire power to take Resita.


    -I know a guy,german,Ed Godwin,mercenary.He isn''t cheap,but he has friends.If your american friends really want to help you,you should ask them to bring him and his men to Resita.


    -How will I get in touch with him?


    -I am sure that the americans know him.


    -When will we proceed then,just in case we lose contact with one another?


    -16th of december.This will give you enough time to contact Godwin and will give me enough time to get in touch with the Syndicate and the aradian brotherhood.


    The man from earlier,the priest''s hired gun came,in a rush and said:


    -They are here.


    -Come with me Robert,I have a secret door in the back.It should be enough for you to escape through Bega river.


    -Thank you Father,we will see eachother soon.


    -We will,may God bless you child.May God bless you.


    On his way to the safe house,a police officer asked Robert for his ID.Robert tried to tell him that he forgot his ID at home,but the officer kept telling him that he either presents him an ID or he will go with him to the police headquarters.The last place that Robert wanted to be.As the officer approached Robert to handcuff him,he felt something go at the speed of light a few centimeters away from his ear.It was a bullet.The officer fell on the ground.A voice whispered:


    -How many times do I have to safe your ass,Robert?


    Robert recognized the voice.He knew it,Stef came here to save him,but how would she know where he was.He said:


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.     -Ste...,Boss,you came,but how did you...


    -I''ve been following you stupid,Lee asked me to.He had his suspicions about you.


    -Thanks for caring.I spoke with the priest,he told me ...


    -Don''t say anything,who knows who might be listening,let''s get back to the house,you''ll tell Lee everything there.


    They made it just in time,as the police radio chatter indicated that a murderer might be on the loose.They clearly referenced the death of that poor officer.Stef remarked:


    -You know,he might have had a family.He might have had some kids and a wife who expected him home by now.


    -Boss,I was just like you.I thought about every one I killed.But I had to forget.I couldn''t keep killing and caring about everyone.Keep in mind this fact."Some of us might die,some by our blades or some by their blades,when this will be finally over,everyone will be considered a martyr".


    -I''ll keep that in mind,thanks.


    -It is my pleasure boss,everything to make you feel better.


    As they entered the house,Lee came to them and ragingly said:


    -What have you done?If word of this goes to Ridgeway,he will kill us.


    -Relax Doc,he wanted to arrest me,Stef just looked at me killing him.Robert said.


    -Is that so?Lee asked.


    -Relax old man,I thought that you americans are less serious.


    -Get to the point,what did the priest say?


    -He told me that he will get in touch with his friends and with some guys in Arad,we will take the West.But we can''t take Resita,he suggested that we contact some german dude named Ed Godwin,he said that you would know how to contact him.


    -He is a mad man.We served together,but I trust him.I know how to reach him,now,let''s get home,we have a revolution to start.


    As they unpacked their things,Lee received a call.It was from Ridgeway.He already knew what was going to happen but he played along


    -Doc,it appears that your little lab rat has a taste for blood.


    -What are you talking about,Ridgeway?


    -You don''t fool me.I know what you two guys did.Killing agents,I get it,but killing cops?They are a sign of peace.It''s your call,terminate her,I''ll terminate you both.


    Ridgeway then hung up.Lee felt her presence.Stef,with a pistol at Lee''s head,angrily said:


    -What are you going to do Lee?Are you going to kill me?After you took my life and made me this?Ha?


    -No.


    -You are saying that just because I hold my gun to your head.Say it.Just say it.


    -Stef,yo...


    -Don''t call me Stef.


    -You are not thinking straight.


    She pointed her pistol to Lee''s shoulder and shot.


    -Watch your mouth,the next one goes straight through your brain.


    -I am not afraid of you Stef,you are like a daughter to me.


    -Lies,deception,you are just an american pig.


    -I am not american,and I am not a pig.I care about you.


    -Yeah,how so?What are you?


    -I am a contractor.It is implied that I have no country,but I was born in Britain.


    -That would explain your fucking accent.Speak.Make me trust you.


    -I don''t work for Ridgeway,not anymore.I work with you.We can save your country and,when you were gone,I picked up some police chatter.They found your mother.


    The warehouse was mostly empty.Only Lee,Stef and Anton were there at the moment when a loud bang came from the door.


    -Stay here,I will blow your fucking head off if I see you twitching.She said.


    As she approached the door,it exploded,throwing her back.She saw a grenade coming through the opening.She thought that this is the end for her when she realised that that was not a normal grenade.It was glowing.4 soldiers,with no flag on their hand.Ridgeway also came through the exact same door and said:


    -Looks like Lee''s twisted mind loves you.Doesn''t matter.This is an electro-magnetic pulse grenade.It won''t kill you,but it will disable you,at least momentarly.Good thing is that I don''t intend on staying here much longer.


    Anton came out to ask what had happened,but one of the soldiers shot him.Stef looked in disbelief.She was filled with rage,but couldn''t do anything.She managed to get on her knees.


    Rigdeway got his revolver out and said:


    -You would have been a hell of an agent,but that''s not gonna happen.


    As the chamber rotated,a bullet pierced Ridgeway''s head,making him miss his shot.Stef could barely move,but she managed to hide under a desk with Ridgeway''s revolver.She saw Anton''s dead body just standing there,motionless,she couldn''t think straight,all she wanted to do was to get her revenge.She didn''t knew how to take out her oppressors.She then heard 4 more shots.4 bodies then fell.She came to her senses and asked:


    -Lee?


    -I hope that this will clear some of your doubts,now,come,I won''t hurt you,I can''t hurt you.


    Stef felt her power coming back.She got out of her cover and rushed Lee.She hugged him and said:


    -How could I have been so foolish?Thank you Lee,I won''t forget this.


    -I just did what I could.Now,I want to do your best.I want you to take this bullet out of me.


    -I am sorry Lee,I am sorry for everything,for shooting ,I am sorry for not trusting you and I am sorry for getting you in this trouble.


    -Don''t worry kiddo,I am also to blame for this.


    As she patched him,he proceeded to say:


    - I am sorry about Anton.I know that you trusted him.


    With a tear in her eye she said:


    -Thank you.


    -You will burn him and carry him in a medalion.That''s how we some legendary soldiers did it in Seychelles.After their comrades fell ill and died,they incinerated them and carried their ashes with them.That''s what you will do.He will always be with you.


    -That sounds interesting,never heard of this technique.


    -It was a sign of respect for the fallen.


    Some time passes and Stef asked Lee:


    -You mentioned my Ma back there,what can you tell me about her?


    -George and Robert will be back soon and they will tell you.All I know is that she is here,in Resita,and we are going to find her,for you.


    -Thank you Lee,I will not forget it.


    George and Robert saw the blasted door.They rushed back to George''s car and took out their rifles.They saw the dead soldiers as well as Anton,but they didn''t see Lee and Stef.George told Robert to watch his back as he checks the other rooms.George saw two shadows.When he entered the room,gun raised,he felt relieved to see them patching eachother.He then said:


    -Quite a mess you''ve got back there.


    -No shit.Stef added.


    -What happened?Robert asked.


    -I''ve lost my faith in the americans,but I came to trust the british.


    Stef smiled at Lee,he then smiled back at her.


    -Whatever that means,we''ve still got some bodies to dispose off,said Robert.


    -Dump them in the river,except for Anton.I want you to burn Anton,Stef said.


    -As you wish Boss,Robert said.


    -What''s the matter with him?Everyone calls him Boss,but he calls you Boss.


    -Well,he owes me big time.


    -Ah,I see,honor among thieves.


    -Something like that,but we don''t steal from the people,we steal from the monsters.


    -That''s quite a motivational speech,George added.


    -Thanks,Stef said.


    After the ceremony,Robert asked Lee:


    -So,about this Godwin guy,have you made up your mind?


    -I have,I will get in touch with him,but I want you to find Melanie Harkov.Stef''s mother.


    -She is Harkov''s daughter?Robert angerly asked.


    -Yeah,I''m Harkov''s daughter,but I am here to help you.You can be whoevers daughter or son,what matters is who you choose to follow,or,in our case,lead.I could have been a member of the Romanian Communist Party,with my father''s influence,but I chose to get down of my high castle and help you,the people,destroy the system.


    -I shouldn''t trust you,but you gave me no choice,you saved me twice and for that I will forever be in your debt,Boss.


    -Ok then,where is Melanie?Lee asked.


    -She became a nurse at the asylum.


    -But that''s on the other side of Resita.Stef replied.


    -We have our ways,Lee said,grabbing her by her shoulder,Stef.


    -Indeed we do.


    The Home for the Elderly Resita was a pretty big place.It housed at least 300 people,including the nurses.The place was like a safe spot for people that didn''t belong,like journalists or state offenders like Stef''s mother.The priest had some safe measures,in case of a state funded raid.He had tunnels and most importantly he had the money to sustain those underpriviliged citizens.You can say that he was prepared for war.Only God knows if that was the case,but he sure could sustain it.Even the police that surrounded the place was "corrupt",in the sense that they were friends of the priest.Stef knew that she has to go in alone,she couldn''t take Lee,Robert or George.Lee was too foreing,they might have questioned him about his intentions.George,well,I could bet the fact that he doesn''t even own a shirt,so it would be pretty awkward for her to take George to a nursing home and Robert was a wanted man.As corrupt as the police was,they would have most likely taken Robert away.He was an extremist that could destroy everything that the priest has built.


    Stef took her equipment off,everything,she didn''t even get her knife or something.She knew that if she is to gain the priests trust,she had to come in unarmed.Her only weapon was her charisma.Something that she didn''t really have.Yes,she was beautiful and all,had a nice body,but you could see the rage in her just by looking her straight in her eyes.She didn''t have the time to manage her emotions.She went in regardless.


    The security post had one guard.She approached him and asked him about her mother,Melanie,but the guard said that he doesn''t know anyone named Melanie.Stef saw it in his eyes.He was lying,but she couldn''t do anything.She wasn''t there to hurt anyone.She then asked to see the priest.The guard told her that the priest,Father Lin,would not be here for at least one more hour.Stef then replied,in an angered tone,that she has enough time.He then told her that she would have to sit through the whole church service.The church was right behind the asylum.It was perfect for a quick snatch and grab,if the situation required it.


    The priest was about to come.The church was filling with elderly people and nurses.Stef stood on a small bench that was right outside the church.The priest came and looked down to her.She looked back at him.He couldn''t be a day older than 50,she thought.He didn''t sport a large beard as most priests that she encountered.He had a black goatee and had a very soft vibe about him.He smiled at her and told her:


    -Come child,you may ask me anything,but only after the service is done.Meet me in the back of the church,everything that you seek,we will find an answer for it,together.


    -Thank you Father,Stef said.


    Stef didn''t partake at a church service for a very long time,as her father wasn''t really a man of faith.She then remembered that Anton took her to church once and then got into trouble when her father found out.With a tear in her eye she said to herself that his sacrifice won''t be in vain.


    As the service ended and the nurses brought the elderly back to their chambers,the priest waived at Stef and made the "come here" hand gesture.He turned the backyard lights off and asked:


    -Who are you?How may I be of your service?


    -I heard that you house people that the government wants to disappear,is that right?


    -You don''t strike me as an agent,but I''ve been wrong before.I asked you something.What''s your name?


    -I am Stefanie Harkov,the daugher of the late Andrei Harkov and of Melanie.I heard that she might be here.


    -Funny,who sent you?He then waived at some guards to come.


    -I am Stefanie,the americans helped me.Tell them to stop.


    He waived at his guards to hold their positions.


    -Melanie came to me after you "died".She told me some things about you.If I am to trust you,you would have to answer my questions.If you don''t,well,I can''t let you live.


    -Those are some real threats coming from a priest.


    -Heh,I''ve got my ways.Now,listen to me.Who was Stefanie''s boyfriend?


    -Julian,next.


    -Who was Stefanie''s best friend?


    -Anton,he wasn''t as much a friend as he was a father for me.


    -Now that''s interesting.One more.What was Melanie like?


    -Caring,good.She hated my father,the only thing that kept them together was me.


    -Let''s hope that I didn''t just kill myself and everyone in this compound.How did you survive?


    -Long story Father,maybe I will tell you sometime,but now I want to speak with my mother,is she here?


    -The police came by a few days ago.I had every one of my ,let''s call them clients,taken to a mountain resort.I''ll mark it for you on the map.Make sure that no one follows you.


    -Thank you for helping me.


    -That''s what a good man should do,help others.


    As Stef approached the fence,the priest said:


    -One more thing.You said that the americans saved you,are they here?When will it begin?


    -There is no american here,but I am not working alone.Timisoara and Arad will fall soon.Mid to late december.Get your men ready,we are going to war.Thank you for helping me,but I have to go now.


    -No,I thank you.I will see you soon.


    Stef didn''t know if it would be wise to get back home and prepare herself or if it would be ok to just go in there,unarmed.She choose the first option.She got her gear and some heavy snow boots that Lee had layling around.He,Lee,asked:


    -So this is it then,you found your mother.Do you need my help or do you promise to not kill anyone?


    -I can handle myself.I will shoot to injure,maybe we can get some intel.


    -Good.


    Resita was a pretty liniar city back in the 80''s.You could go from one end of the city to the other just by following the path.Stef didn''t take any chances and took the forest road.It was very easy for her to get to the mountain base from George''s warehouse,but she couldn''t go through the woods,as the terrain was pretty steep up there.It was dark outside,but everyone with a car that had lights could have seen the equipment on her,including her weapons.


    There were no inconveniecens on the road.She knew that she was free to pursue her mother''s trail.It was already dawn.She couldn''t make her way down untill sunset.She made it to the point that the priest marked on her map.There was a wooden mansion.It had smoke coming out of it.She then heard a gun click.Someone was behind her.It wasn''t very far,but not close enough for hand to hand combat.The voice behind the gun said:


    -Put your weapons down and let me see your hands.No one in their right mind would wear just a turtleneck and a vest in this conditions.


    Stef couldn''t really feel the diference between chilly and cold.She wore just Lee''s boots,a pair of leggings,a turtleneck,a bulletproof vest,some gloves and a fur cap,just for style.Not that it would help her in any way.She knew that she was fucked.


    -Ok sir,take it easy,I am not here to hurt you.


    -Then why are you armed to the teeth then?


    -For my own protection and potentially yours.The priest told me to find you.


    -Ah,you should have said that earlier,a friend of the priest.


    He then approached her and touched her on her shoulder.


    -You are clearly insane.You are freezing cold,come with me.


    Stef took her weapons and entered the mansion with the man.


    As he prepared her a tea,the man said:


    -My name is Paul,I was a journalist to The Spark.


    -My father adored it.


    -What''s your name child?


    -I am Stefanie.


    -Well that''s funny,a woman in here had a daughter named Stefanie,I should get her to meet you.Just don''t say anything about her daughter,she is dead,the communist killed her.


    -I''ll keep my mouth shut.She then made a hand gestures suggesting that she zipped her mouth.


    Paul told her that this woman loves tee and that he will make a separate cup for her.He gave Stef her cup and told her that he will get the woman down there to meet her.


    When the woman came down,she has first seen the weapons and thought to herself that the priest called some security for the house and then she saw her.It was the same girl that she has last seen months prior.It was her daughter.She dropped her cup and started crying.Paul came down and asked her what had happened.She then said:


    -It cannot be,my baby girl,I thought that she was dead.


    Paul then pushed her to hug Stef.


    She touched her and asked:


    -How?How did you make?Oh baby girl,you are so cold.


    -It''s cold outside.


    She didn''t want to tell her mother about her enhancements.


    -You''ve still got it in you,the sense of humor.


    -Learned from the best.


    -How did you make it?


    -The americans.I am not here just for the taste of romanian tee.I came here with some friends to take down Nicolae Ceausescu and his acolytes.


    -How could they send you here?


    -I volunteered.


    -Why?


    -Because I care.


    -Whatever you do,just find Anton,he is a good man.


    -I know,he died so that I would live.


    She then started crying even louder and said:


    -Poor Anton,poor you,how can I help?


    -I''ve made some connections.I have a friend that will supply you with guns and ammunition.I have another friend that will provide you with men.How many are you up here?20?I will get you 20 more men.They will protect you.


    -Who are those men?


    -Friends of Robert.


    -Robert Aster?He is a madman.


    -Maybe,but he owes me.I just need you to stay here.


    -Don''t leave me again baby girl.


    -I promise that after this I will not leave you again.


    As she was about to leave,Melanie screamed:


    -You won''t leave me because you will be in a body bag.


    When she reached the warehouse she told Robert and George to provide her with men and guns.They obliged to her commands.Lee asked:


    -So,where is your mother,are you going to war to find her?


    -No,I found her,I''ll just make sure that war doesn''t come to her.

 Welcome old friend

    -I am sorry to break it to you,but killing Ridgeway made us some new enemies.


    -Nothing we can''t handle.Stef said.


    -I''ve seen then in action.They call themselves The Regiment.They are known,or,for actual events,aren''t really known.They are like ghosts.Ed Godwin knows some of them.He said that he is on his way,but we would have to get him and his men through the border.


    -Do we really need Godwin?We''ve got Arad,Timisoara and to a certain degree even Resita.


    -We can''t rely on a priest ,some furious nuns and 50 underequiped rebels.


    -What do you mean?Robert''s men can hold their own.


    -Maybe,but we can''t take any chances.What vehicles do they possess?A few SUVs?


    -What does Godwin have?I can''t presume that he has tanks.


    -Think again.He comes in with at least 200 men ,at least 20 SUVs,at least 10 APCs,at least 5 tanks,a couple of helicopters and a jet.


    -They''ll catch him at the gates.There is no way for him to reach Resita.


    -Godwin is a pro.He already has everything in Resita.He just needs to get his men across the Danube River.


    -You said that he is german,why is he coming from Yugoslavia?


    -He is making connections.He is doing what you and Robert have done for quite some time.He is trying to arm insurrections across the country.If we finish here,we might return the favor and help him with his bigger plan.


    -So,I won''t be done with it.


    -Oh,no,you can do whatever you want.But what are you willing to do?Yugoslavia won''t take more than one or two years to destabilize.If you come,you will become a hero.


    -I don''t know,I''ll give it some thought.Still,where is Godwin''s equipment?


    -Warehouses scattered across the county.


    -So they are already in Caras?Why?


    -We,Ed and I,have reason to believe that Ceausescu is hiding in a bunker located somewhere in the Semenic Mountain.Ed picked up some DSS chatter indicating it.


    -So,how can we help Godwin?


    -Inflatable boats.Lots of them.


    -Where?


    -10 clicks east of The Iron Gates.We go in with some of Robert''s men and we pick them up.


    -What about the security?


    -Lax,2 soldiers in an SUV.We can take them out or we can sneak behind them.


    -We shall see.


    -We ride at sunset.


    When the time came,Lee made sure that Robert got his men to the Danube.They both packed for a long trip and made their way.There they were surprised to see that Robert got out of his cave and joined them on the operation.Robert noted that there were more then 1 SUV scouting the area.Maybe they got hold of Godwin''s plan.Stef then said:


    -Maybe,but maybe they might come in handy.How many cars do you have?


    -40.That''s all I''ve got.


    -We also came within one.If we steal 4 border patrol SUVs we might be able to get everyone in one go,if we overcrowd the cars.


    -Maybe.Robert replied.


    -A car is approaching,are we going to take them or are we going to let them fight another day?Lee said.


    Robert had a big caliber sniper rifle,it was maybe a .50 BMG while Stef had a smaller rifle,more of a marksman rifle rather then a sniper rifle,perhaps a 7.62.She asked Robert:


    -So,are you overcompensating for something?


    -Very funny Boss.This is my baby.I take her on such occasions.


    -50 american dollars on me hitting a target farther with my dmr than you with your monster of a weapon when we make our way home.


    -You''ve got yourself a deal.


    -Now,listen closely,I take the driver,you take the passenger on my mark.1.2.3.


    The car stopped.One of Robert''s men came down and took the car to a safe space.


    -Nicely done Boss.I would have taken you to be less...,you know...


    -Less what?Less precise then you?I might be a woman and I might be younger than you,but I won''t let you underestimate me.


    -Now that I think of it,how did you become a super soldier at what?21?


    -Training,and I also had a good teacher.


    Stolen novel; please report.          -Americans sure do have their ways.I''ve seen some movies.There was one guy who single handedly killed an entire island worth of people just with a rifle,a machinegun,a multi rocket launcher and his knife.


    -Quiet.Lee said.There comes another one.


    2 hours later Lee spots a light blinking on the other side of the river.


    -It must be them.Lee said.Quick,launch the boats.


    -Why did we have to get the boats?Robert asked.


    -Because these men are armed to the teeth and are exhausted.They wouldn''t cross the river on their own.


    -If you say so.


    Lee got to the river to welcome the first henchmen.On the boat was also Ed.


    -What are you doing you son of a bitch?Ed asked.


    -It''s good to see you too.


    -If we kill Ceausescu now,we won''t have to capture Bucharest.


    -Amen to that.How are you?


    -As always.Killing people for a living.What about you?I can''t presume that you couldn''t fix your eye.


    -I did,I just wear this eyepatch to not let people see that I watch them with it.


    -Ah,the same old sneaky little bastard.


    -In the flesh.Now,board this car and tell the driver to get you to the safe house.I''ll meet you there.


    -What if we get stopped at a roadblock or something?


    -I can bet my money on the fact that there is no roadblock that can stop you.


    -You''ve got me there.


    Another car came.Stef and Robert again shot at the car.Robert missed his target,the passenger.Lee was just a few meters away.He took his pistol and dragged the poor man out of his car and onto the ground.Lee asked him:


    -How are you today officer?


    -Please don''t kill me,I have a wife and three kids at home.


    -Do you make enough money to feed them?I can presume that you do.You work the graveyard shift on the state border,that''s a demanding job.


    -No,I don''t.They pay me jack shit.I don''t want to die for them.


    -Good,tonight might just be your lucky night.You are coming with us.You said that you don''t want to die for them.You might die,but not for them,for your wife and for your children.


    -What do you mean?


    -I am offering you a choice.Die for the sins of your country or live for the sake of your family.


    -I guess I don''t really have a choice here.


    -You are a smart boy.What''s your name?


    -Valentine.


    -Welcome to the first day of your new life Valentine.Get your family to safety.We are expecting you to come to Resita armed at 16th of December.


    -What is happening at that date?


    -You are taking your country back.Now go,before I change my mind.Anyone asks,your coleague went home and you never saw him since.


    -Thank you.


    -Go,I have a job to do.


    Stef and Robert stood back,as to keep everyone''s back.When everyone left,they thought that it is time for them to leave.When the wanted to get up from the prone position that they have taken,guns clicked at their heads.The men told them to get up,slowly and to not try anything stupid.Stef then remembered what Lee told her about Ridgeway''s friends.


    -Turn around.


    When they turned around,Stef noticed the fact that they wore american flags on their shoulders.She first thought that they could be spec ops,but then came to the realisation that spec ops operatives don''t wear flags.It must have been some marines or something.It didn''t really matter,as their heads popped right on the spot.Lee came and said:


    -American.I don''t know if The Regiment wears flags,but these guys clearly don''t look professional.Let''s go home.


    -Thanks Lee.Stef said.Without you we might have been toast.


    -Yeah,thanks Doc.


    -Not to worry,I am sure that these guys are not even military,look at their guns,they are clearly fake.Maybe they were some too patriotic kids looking for a big job.


    -So,they aren''t those super soldiers that you kept telling me about.


    -Doesn''t look like.Now let''s go,the sun will rise shortly.