Russell Adler x Reader

Thirty-Two

The people inside the building were taken by surprise by the smoke grenades that Adler and you let rain down on them.

Russian curses filled the air.

Confusion spread, mixed with a bit of panic.

Before letting himself fall down into the thick cloud of smoke, Adler exchanged a glance with you for reassurance and nodded.

Not a second later the gunfire started.

From the corner of your eyes you were able to spot Volkov.

He was still frozen in confusion. All of a sudden, he flinched and a few drops of red splattered over the floor. He had been shot.

Surprised by the injury, he pulled his head in and screamed for his men to kill everyone, before vanishing in the smoke.

You decided to follow him.

As your feet touched the ground you immediately spun around, pulled your head in and jumped after the Russian.

The smoke made it hard to see, but his outlines danced across the darkness.

A few more steps and the factory turned into a warehouse.

Your sight cleared.

Bright light flooded your eyes. For a moment it was so blinding that you couldn't help but leave the target out of sight.

"Pizdets!", you cursed and looked around.

But Volkov was gone.

Without skipping a beat you ran on, following the path you thought he had disappeared in.

The sounds of fighting was left behind. Gunshots still echoed from the walls.

Adler's voice cut through the chaos.

He was calling out for you.

All of a sudden, your body stiffened and your kegs froze. You wanted to turn around and rush to his side, you wanted to know if he was calling you because of an emergency or just to check on your status.

Either way, walking back would have been stupid.

You needed to talk to Volkov and find out what he knew. Worst case scenario, you needed to eliminate him before the Americans could get their hands on him.

So you pushed Adler's calls into the back of your brain and walked on.

With your head pulled in and a finger on the trigger, you rushed around a corner.

You were too quick to act.

A shadow jumped out.

You managed to raise your hands in defence just in time to catch the handle of a riffle that was about to smash your nose.

With his teeth gritted, Volkov tried to wrestle you down.

But you were quick to act.

One of your hands reached out to grab his collar and pulled him closer with such force that he stumbled. Your leg snapped forward, while you twisted his arm and not a second later he was laying on the floor, one arm on his back and you towering above him.

"Comrade!", you said in Russian. "Calm down. I am not the enemy."

His resistance stopped.

"You speak Russian well...", he replied in the same language. "For an American."

A low huff escaped you.

"I assume Kraus has told you about me. And Bell."

He pulled a face.

"He did tell me that the myth is in town.", he glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. "But I didn't believe it. And that... Bell. Why did you send him to me?"

"He's brainwashed. He forgot who he is."

"Perseus has a big bounty on his head."

"He was his right hand man. The Americans took him. I told Kraus to brung him to you, so you could return him to Perseus. What went wrong?"

Volkov struggled.

You loosened your grip to give him a little space, but not enough for him to slip away.

He relaxed a little.

"I asked him who he works for...", he groaned. "He didn't reply. He's American."

"I'm telling you he's not. They brainwashed him."

"How do you know?"

"I was there. I always am."

An amused grin appeared on his face. His entire body loosened.

You set him free, knowing that he believed what you said and was no longer a threat.

Out of politeness, you offered him a hand, despite the fact that he had messed with your plans to get Bell back to Perseus.

"What do we do now?", Volkov asked and picked up his gun again. "Perseus would want to see him. And you."

You shook your head.

"My mission isn't done yet...", you glanced around the corner, believing that steps approached. "Try to get out of here. I need to stay with him. The Americans cannot know what he knows. Also, if you're not fast enough, I will let them kill you."

With an understanding nod of his head, he fixed his glasses and turned to leave. But before banishing out of sight, he did turn around one last time.

"I've always thought that Perseus' decision to keep you was foolish, since you could have become one of them over all those years...", he huffed. "But I see how much of a Soviet you are. Your eyes don't lie."

With those words he disappeared behind a row of shelves.

You were left behind.

His words echoed inside your ears.

You looked like a Soviet. It was visible in your eyes.

If a man who had never met you could tell, what about Adler?

Did he know?

And if not, why had he missed it after all those years of being so close?

He was smart.

All of a sudden, a deep, dark though grew in the back of your head.

Maybe he knew.

Maybe he was very much aware of your purpose and just played along to manipulate you.

Maybe he wasn't the hunted anymore but the hunter and you had missed to realise the shift of power.

"Yebat...", you mumbled and rubbed your face. "This isn't good... not good at all..."

Steps sounded.

You picked up your gun.

"Shades?", you asked into the silence.

The steps stopped.

A shadow grew over the floor.

Bell's face appeared.

Judging by the look in his eyes, he recognised you. But he didn't just recognised, he also understood. He remembered the conversations that the two of you had.

You met his gaze.

"Did the brainwash break?", you asked.

Unsure, he shrugged.

"I don't remember a lot.", he whispered in Russian. "But I know I am Russian. I feel like Vietnam was real. But I know I'm not American. The lines blur. I don't know what's real and what's not."

A bitter laugh escaped you.

"I understand that too well..."