Gray-haired and shaggy-faced, resembling an unshorn sheep, every step he takes is in slow motion compared to almost anyone else I know. His idea of hurrying is to bend his head downward a little as he saunters, while the pace of his footfalls changes not at all. That’s just the way the man is: born calm, and even the most urgent incident in this world cannot change such a bearing.

I take a few steps forward, give him a salute, then extend my hand to him.

“Good work, Vronsky.” General Kuznetsov shakes my hand and then claps me on my shoulder. His gaze is gracious, though there isn’t a hint of a smile on his face. “You don’t know how crucial this specimen is for us. You’ve secured a valuable asset in our quest to make this world a better place.”

I indicate Smolnikov and Petrov standing nearby. “Sir. I should inform you that these are the commander and captain of this facility, as per your request. I relied on them to bring this person to you discreetly. My apologies for not being able to keep this task a complete secret. Only those two knew about this.”

“You’ve done no wrong, Vronsky. I asked you to summon them, and I understood it might have been impossible to not let them know.” Kuznetsov’s voice is sweet as honey. I know full well it’s just a diplomatic farce. He keeps that voice of his as he turns to Smolnikov’s officer pair, “Gentlemen! I am General Maxim Kuznetsov from the Republic of Moskva. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Republic of Moskva?” Dzyuba has already narrowed his eyes as Kuznetsov shakes his hand. “The Central State has abandoned us for so many years, we thought there wasn’t a regime there anymore! What business does a State General have with a vassal state like us?” His tone is full of mockery. I don’t blame him; it’s widely known that the Central State hasn’t cared about the state of the country as a whole for a while now.

Kuznetsov gives a half smile. “It’s been a rough couple of years for everyone, ourselves included. We felt we couldn’t assist anyone with the resources we had a couple of years ago, if I’m being completely honest. But now, we have heard your pleas. It is our duty to ensure order across our country, so we can make Russia great again.”

Petrov snorts, but both he and Dzyuba are smart enough to not poke the beehive any further.

“The only reason I’m leaving this fort is because you promised my men’s safety,” says Dzyuba, “Can I trust that you will keep your word?”

“Most certainly, Commander. Not only your men, but the whole city will be returned to you within a fortnight,” replies Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov asks a few more questions regarding the battle currently taking place within Izhevsk, then instructs the driver in the first vehicle to lead the officers to the armored car. He seems to ignore Alice completely throughout the interactions. Or rather, she’s tried to make herself invisible by cowering beside the gate. I think the officers must have continued talking, but their voices became buzzing noises the moment I see the girl gazing at me longingly.

I sit down next to her and give my best shot at a smile. “It’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Her voice trembles just a bit.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.”

“You can nestle closer to me.”

“All right.” She snuggles up to me like a kitten snuggles up to its birth giver. She must be freezing, because her fingers cling to my arm as her whole body shakes.

“Keep it steady, soldier. Are you a soldier?”

She doesn’t reply to my question. “We will meet again in a couple weeks, right?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing will happen to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Promise?”

“I—” Guilt builds up inside my throat; I can’t seem to get the word out of my mouth. When it finally comes out, it’s almost inaudible. “—promise.”

That’s enough for her. “Okay.”

In doesn’t take even a full minute for Kuznetsov to get back to us. He bends down as he reaches out to the girl, shakes her jittery hands, and smiles at her. I don’t know if this is the first time Kuznetsov has seen a woman, I just know that even before such an unconventional presence, the general doesn’t seem one bit out of his character. “I’ve heard a lot about you. We will get you to Yaketarinburg, okay? You are finally safe. Nobody will chase you anymore.”

Why is he talking like he knows what happened? Shouldn’t that raise suspicion? Who was chasing her exactly?

In the end, I decide that it’s not my place. It’s the last time I will ever see her, anyway.

Alice is escorted to the second car, and her eyes are glued on me the whole way. Before the driver closes the door of the vehicle, she gives me a small wave and mouths “see you again” at me. I wave back, wondering to myself whether I would want to remember her last gaze or not. It was hopeful, so, so hopeful. Reminds me of myself when I was younger.

Kuznetsov drives the third car himself, with me in the front seat.

“How are you these days, Vronsky?” He lights up the expensive Sobranie black cigarette he already put in his mouth, then hands me one, “It must have been tough on you. I mean, this was a Rank S mission, and you had to do this alone.”

It’s a huge surprise that a no-namer was offered a Rank S mission. Maybe Kuznetsov wanted to give me a bit of a challenge as a retirement gift, maybe this mission was way too easy for its classification. Whatever the reason was, it makes me think that sometimes your value isn’t based on your position and seniority after all.

“I’m all fine, thanks to the Republic and your blessings, Sir.”

“Don’t thank me. Sorry for having to send you on this one, Vronsky. You know, things have been tough on us ever since Zhukov’s incident. We can’t train ‘advanced’ warriors like we used to anymore. Now, for your next assignment . . .” Typical Kuznetsov move. He won’t even try to hide the fact that he doesn’t give a shit about my wellbeing.

“Sir, have you forgotten? This will be my last assignment. I’m retiring.”

“Oh, my mistake. Of course, of course. How old are you, twenty-eight? You’re wasting your youth, young man.” He clicks his tongue as he starts up the engine, “We have already prepared you your accommodation in Arkhangelsk—”

“Petrozavodsk.” I correct him.

“Right, of course, Petrozavodsk. Now, you just need to rest up tonight at our base at Chernuska. You know how long a journey it takes from here to Petrozavodsk, right? It will take days to get there by car. I’ll try to book you a jet at Chernuska so you can get there in a day. You deserve an extended vacation for your devoted service. Just remember that there’s no personal hard feelings between us and you, okay? If we pushed you a bit too hard, it’s because we saw the potential in you to become one of the best fighters in this entire country. Indeed, you have become one.”

I ignore everything he says. I know that he’s implying the years I’ve spent inside the lab, but I have no wish to be reminded of such an atrocity, “Sir, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?” Kuznetsov’s eyes stay glued to the road ahead. The snow begins to fall, and he has to turn on the windscreen wiper. The road is bumpy, and the snowflakes start clumping in front of the hood.

“I fully understand that this woman is important, but you seem to be interested in recruiting Smolnikov’s generals as well. May I ask the reason for this?” I know I shouldn’t pry. One should never pry into His Excellency’s business. However, all of this makes no sense to me. Pavlyuchenko is an ally to him, why would he want to help an adversary?

I expect Kuznetsov to just pretend like he didn’t hear anything, but surprisingly, he answers. “It’s complicated. We have incredible influence on Pavlyuchenko’s troops. The old man sent out his armies to Perm and Izhevsk because he got our green light all along. However, His Excellency is starting to question Pavlyuchenko’s loyalty lately. Therefore, we’re—” He lowers his voice as he gazes towards the general direction of the vehicles above, “—reinstating Smolnikov to use him as a puppet leader. If we get them to keep fighting each other, eventually they’ll weaken themselves enough so we can take both of them down without any effort.”

“I see. But Sir, why do you feel generous with your intelligence today?”

“Oh, you won’t care about this. You’ll forget it sooner or later.” His little smirk indicates he’s joking. “Very well. I must thank you for this one, Vronsky. You’ve gotten us one step closer to securing a strategic alliance within this region. I will take care of this matter. For now, we’ll send delegates to Pavlyuchenko’s camp to negotiate for Izhevsk. Minerals trading privilege to Voronezh and Volgograd is probably enough, don’t you think? We’ll start transferring poor-quality minerals to them after the first three months, then if they complain, we have a good reason to get rid of them.”

“I don’t think I’m qualified to give my opinion, General Volodymyr, sir.” I lightly nod.

“You are more than qualified, Vronsky. You are a hard-working man and a capable officer. It’s a tremendous improvidence to see you in such a lowly title.”

Empty flatteries have never worked on me. Kuznetsov is known for giving compliments whenever anyone does anything remotely better than they usually do, to make his subordinates feel as though they’re important.

I take a deep inhale of the cigarette, nodding as I taste the delicious burst of flavor inside my mouth. What’s wild is that Kuznetsov has access to this luxury every single day. Moskvich are the richest in the country, and they try their best to keep that a secret. A commoner who comes from the far north like I did will sell their houses to get a taste of this cigarette.

But I can’t even enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience because I keep thinking of Alice.

What will happen to her?

The question is pointless. She won’t know that I’ve betrayed her, at least not until it’s too late. If I ever meet her again, I can just blame Kuznetsov for whatever they’ve done to her.

But why do I feel like I’ve made the wrong choice? My senses must be tricking me. What do I have to worry about? That woman is no longer my concern. Whatever happens to her, I won’t know, and I don’t wish to know. She’s no longer my concern. No longer.

The road in front of us becomes more and more obscure. My vision blurs more by the second as drowsiness hits me like a truck. I try to fend off the urge to sleep, but as time passes, I’m finding it impossible to keep my eyes open.

I know I’m drained, but I’ve never felt this sleepy before. Is there something in this cigarette?

I can’t even turn my head to ask Kuznetsov what he put in the cig. I lean my head against the glass door, unable to open my eyes as his voice keeps buzzing in my ears.

“Vronsky. Vronsky! I know you’re tired, but you cannot fall asleep in front of your superior.”

“Vronsky. Vronsky?”

“Sir, he’s knocked out. Yes, sir, of course. I will send him back to Moskva immediately.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

General Kuznetsov is right. It’s pointless to think about that woman. I will forget her the next time I wake up.

We will have never met.