Redemption

CHAPTER V: Held Under His Command

A few seconds passed as Nikolais stood still near a wall, trying to catch his mentality because of how guilty that he couldn't protect the soldiers he led. Why did he trust Graves on leading them? He still kept that evil name after all, but he didn't know what Graves did to get him to such a position. Or just maybe...

Nikolais was also just as gullible as Graves. Even more so.

Not before long, the transmitter on his chest vibrated with a message, "Shadow Company."

Shadow Company...? What's that?

"Graves is down."

He chokes on his breath as he covers his mouth in pure shock. Maybe it's not the fact that Graves couldn't lead properly in this situation, but it was because of the fact he was already taken as well. Nikolais impulsively snatches the transmitter off his chest, staggering the nearby soldiers as they look at him with pure confusion and shock. Nikolais, now mad at the mysterious voice,

"Ty bol'noy ublyudok!!! Gde, blyad', Greyvs?!" No word made sense except for Graves. He cared despite starting to hate him for being so stubborn around his men.

"I don't speak Russian, you fool. I don't comprehend with your choice of vocabulary."

Let me translate for you... "Where... the fuck... is Graves." Pauses in between, but clearly summarized what he originally said in Russian.

"Oh, don't worry. He's safe with us." He felt the poison crawling on him. Nikolais was never exposed to such use of words and accent. He had never felt this angry or upset too. Was Graves catching up to him? Visible but also invisible. Expressions that were expressive but untold. It was locked up inside his heart - chained but beating, wanting to release itself from his small moment of what it feels like falling into the deep void.

He wasn't, but the chains were the void.

"Muzhchiny vpered!" He says willingly, possibly commanding his men to split up or rather take steps forward. The mission was altered. It wasn't for the scavenging anymore; it was to find and save Graves.

-

He feels the feeling of cold air brush over him as he opens his eyes. Head low, he sees the floor and notices an odd pattern. It wasn't the floors from the abandoned compound, it was cracked marble. That's when he looked up curiously, trying to catch a glimpse of where he was.

Iron bars.

All those times he helped hold hostage to his past enemies. Valeria, Hassan and more to be said. Now, he's the one sitting on a chair and having his ass being held hostage. He wondered who punched him in that very moment the penlight lit up the face of an unknown person. He knows it wasn't one of the Russians because... he already knows. It wasn't one person from 1-4-1 either because he has been with them for long enough to memorize their outfit choices.

And from what he can see, the figure wore all black- wait.

Could it be...?

"Oh. You're awake." A voice from the other side of the bars emerged, Graves immediately noticing the detail and style of the figure. It was them.