Redemption

CHAPTER XXIX: A Bitter Reunion

This sight was gut-wrenching for Graves. Having to get past through countless hostiles just to reach the desert, only to be met with the sight of his old refuge – the organization.

Not just any organization – The Russian Organization he once used to serve.

"A base... in the sand? That is a unique approach of architecture."

Laswell doesn't know that Graves is having the moment of silence right now, a mixed signal of feelings because not only he'll see some old friends, but he's back at his old institute. No words can describe how happy he was to see the arched entrance of the base towards the underground – but also a nervous feeling due to the fact that this was the place where the absurd amount of pressure originally came from says Laswell's studies and sensors. An absurd mountain of feelings overall.

"Fucking hell. Hold on, Laswell. I'll have to investigate further."

"Keep your guard up at all times, Graves." She said before disconnecting from the transmitter, she knew that he could do it. But little does the woman know, he had other plans to do other than investigate the base.

He runs over to the other side of the cliff where the end made a figure of a ramp thanks to how nature shaped it. It was fortunate because now that he could go down without trying to do some weird grapple hook shenanigan again like that one time back in the dark waters of the oil rig where they tried stopping one of Hassan's missiles – well, at this point, his missile along with Shepherd.

But that didn't matter anymore. The old man was dead anyway.

He navigated down the ramp to be met with an empty desert that follows along with the entrance down to the base that he originally stayed at. Part of him knew how to open the gate, but couldn't without his authority.

Graves knew who that was, but couldn't say his name because he needed to see him first.

The man ran towards the entrance that curved an arch, its body ending towards the ground as it pipes down – almost looks like a worm emerging, if that makes sense. From there, Graves was now near the entrance as he saw a familiar looking figure. A figure who was wearing military gear with a long coat of some sort – specifically, a gray coat as it dances along with the sand flying onto the air.

The hair. He noticed the figure's hair. It was colored black as it fades down his head, the figure immediately noticing the starstruck man who, without a doubt, noticed his whole attire and person overall. He was the man who he was looking for in the very beginning he took a whole look towards the base:

Nikolais.

"Nikolais...?" He whispered as his pace slowed down, immediately recognizing him as he formed a slight smile on his end. Graves could barely see him smile, which made him continue running afterwards.

It really was him.

He reaches the front of the base's entrance, shortly meeting with the other man's glance – sharing the same emotion of stare that embedded within the both of them. Nikolais could tell that Graves missed him, yet he doesn't know if he feels the same way because of some alternatives that had happened within the past weeks after Graves' departure from the Russian base.