Losing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  “Cease fire! Stop it, damn it!” I gave the order.

  Making sure they had stopped, I headed towards the body, still holding it at gunpoint. Even though I felt the moment of death, that wasn’t enough sometimes to be sure. Was I paranoid?

  I took a couple of steps towards the corpse and released a burst into his head. Then coming up closer, I added more in his back. One more shot hit the back of his head. I'd seen cases when some of them had survived after such damage without any kind of mysticism.

  “Koshchey to Wild Rabbit: mission completed, all units secure. Do you copy?”

  “Wild Rabbit to Koschey: walk along the fence, just be careful, when you see the target, get him. Do you copy?”

  “Koshchey to Wild Rabbit: copy that. Over and out.”

  “No one feels sick?” I turned to my soldiers and asked. “Great. Move along the fence now. Slowly and crouching. Don’t shoot without my command. Clear? Then follow me.”

  Crouching and dashing from one concrete block to another, we moved along the fence, approaching the Veteran who was hiding at the moment behind a stone wall, clearly set there with the help of Bahir tricks. As far as I knew, this was very good for a Veteran. They weren't skilled at setting shields. But this criminal character wasn't a regular one for sure. In addition to the fact that he was still alive, with such an overwhelming advantage of our fighters, he had also managed to create shields. It was unlikely that this shield was saturated with energy, but even in this form, it got my respect.

  Taking our positions, I decided to warn Svyatov about this. It’s very beneficial to go into the flank of the enemy and not be detected. It created room for maneuvering.

  “Koschey to Wild Rabbit: the position is taken, the enemy has not yet seen us. Do you copy?”

  “Wild Rabbit to Koschey: I'll try to get to him from the other flank. Fire on my command. Or if you are detected. Also, the enemy retains “stone skin” and loves to hit with his “thorns”. At least, he’s not quick on making the technique work, so if he starts getting close to you or you feel the movement of the ground, run to the sides. Do you copy?”

  “Koschey to Wild Rabbit: Copy. We’ll wait. Over and out.”

  Actually, we could assume what would happen next.

  I gestured orders to the two men to move forward along the road. If anything, they'd hit the rear. Or try to stop the retreat. We'd see. Meanwhile, I prepared a pair of defensive grenades. I had only a couple of them and defensive, unlike offensive ones, were quite powerful. In this operation, they should not have been needed.

  Just then, Svyatov's soldiers came upon the flank of the enemy, and the shooting intensified once again. The Veteran did his tricks, forcing our soldiers to move, and not be able to stay in their comfortable shelter. Finally, when the shooting reached its apogee, the Veteran set another wall, forming a corner in a way. I couldn't see well from where I was, but it looked like it wasn't easy for him. Almost immediately after that I received a signal from Svyatov and ordered the men to fire.

  The massive firing on my part was a complete surprise for the Veteran. Sliding down the wall to the asphalt, he began to launch his techniques, which seemed random, in our direction. Only one stone hit the plate behind which I was hiding. All the others went higher, shredding the fence behind us. A few even went into the sky. Though it was dark, he just had bad aim. Anyway, I definitely got lucky when I got a hold of the mobile armor.

  Two plops next to me and two under-barreled projectiles flew towards the target. They hit the Veteran precisely in the chest, which was interesting. This man could not stand it anymore and, in five seconds, ignoring the 7.62 caliber hits, he erected the third wall. After that, I grabbed both grenades, and with a slight delay, one after another threw them over the wall. I commanded the couple of soldiers that had moved ahead to the wide-open rear of the enemy to fire.

  Two grenade launchers were fired at him. I ran forward because I couldn't miss the opportunity to shoot too. While running, I heard two more grenades ringing by the Veteran. They were also defensive. One landed slightly to the side. Apparently, they had miscalculated the time because the grenade hit one of the walls and jumped out of the Veteran's cage. But I thought that'd be enough for him.

  When I reached a spot from which I could fire at the enemy, he finally decided to make a breakthrough, getting out of the trap into which he had driven himself. The only thing that ruined his plans was a grenade that hit his head. I don't know who fired it so well, but he earned a couple thousand on top of his salary. The fallen and disoriented enemy was finished off within seven seconds. Everyone, including Svyatov's guys, participated, while another grenade, this time a weak offensive one, came at me from the Veteran but did not affect me. After waiting a couple of seconds, I gave the order to cease-fire almost simultaneously with Wild Rabbit.

  “Koschey to all: stay where you are. Let's go, Alexei, let's see what's left of him.”

  Having approached the body, I released several bursts into the back, the heart, and the head.

  “You think, after what we did to him, he could stay alive?” Asked Svyatov.

  “Things happen,” I answered, shrugging my shoulders.

  “That's not possible.”

  “Things happen,” I spoke with authority.

  “As you say. You're the boss.”

  “Do you have any idea how they survived after the grenade launcher?” I asked the question that interested me.

  “What's there to think? They were under the cover of element. This one,” he nodded to the corpse, “was holding a 'stone skin.' And the second one... What did he throw there?”

  “Lightning.”

  “Right. 'Electric film'. Paranoiacs. Nothing like you, of course,” he said, glancing at the corpse, “but not weak either. They came here under full protection.”

  “That is normal. Why did I not think of it myself? All right, command. Tell them to move the car off the roadway.”

  It was quite possible. Second level of protection after “spirit of armor”... But oddly enough, for me, this protection was nothing. I don't know why, but for a warlock, a real barrier is just the “armor”, and all these “skins” and “covers” could be taken off in one blow. The ever-memorable Hindu Master kept restoring his “ice cover” five times until he finally realized that I couldn't care less. This kind of defense kept the kinetic weapon pretty well. As it turned out—not only kinetic.

  “What for?” Alexei was surprised.

  “Why not. Let these ammunition-happy dudes do some manual labor. The suit will protect them from fire.”

  “By the way, they did an outstanding job, considering it's their first time.”

  “So?”

  “Ah-ah,” he waved his hand, “to hell with you. Accepted.”

  Moving aside, he sat down on one of the slabs that bordered the road.

  “Koschey to Legless: what’s your situation,” I contacted Taro.

  “Ugh. We're working. We found the third container, now we're unloading the pallets from it.”

  “Goody. Well done there. And what about the second container?”

  “Hmm, about a third of it is loaded.”

  Not much, but they had found it only recently. The battle with the Veterans didn't take very long, so they obviously hadn’t had enough time to unload an entire container.

  “All right, still well done. We're doing fine too. I don't think there are any losses,” I finished a little uncertainly.

  If there were losses, Svyatov would surely have said so.

  “Anyway, I'll let you get back to work. In the worst case scenario, we still have half an hour.”

  “Got it, boss. We'll try to make it on time.”

  “Alright. Over and out.”

  The police showed up in an hour. I enjoyed my cigarette at the moment, but the sniper that had been sent to point B decided to ruin my mood.

  “Rabbit-one to Koschey: I see the police. Three cars, three miles away...” Since I hadn’t heard “Copy”
yet, I continued to listen without interrupting,“... they stopped. They are waiting for something.”

  They were not waiting for “something”, they were waiting for us to come out. Damn it.

  “Copy that. Continue your observation. Report on the beginning of movement. Do you copy?”

  “Copy. Over and out.”

  How long will they wait? They're already late. Damn, I do not know. Maybe they just now got the call.

  “Koschey to Legless: how's it going?”

  “Almost there, boss. Another ten minutes, and we can leave.”

  Will they wait there for ten minutes? Most likely. And what if they don’t? What if they are waiting for something else?

  “Let the loaded trucks leave. You go with them.”

  “But, boss...”

  “Do it! The police have come to visit us here, and I have no time to argue. Do you understand that?”

  “Understood. But I can leave with the last truck.”

  “Run, for god's sake. Run!”

  “But I'm legless...”

  “You are soon to become armless. Don't believe me?”

  “I do. Got it, boss. I'm leaving.”

  And why does he sound so heart-broken? As if he could help with something else here.

  “Koschey to Daddy-Rabbit: do you copy?”

  “I copy, Koschey?”

  “Take both civilians into the loaded cars, take everyone who is not involved in loading, and send them to the base. Take the first route. They will pick us up there. In ten minutes, no matter if you have time to load everything or not, get in the car and leave. Understand? Do you copy?”

  “I got you, Koschey. Taking extra people to the base using the loaded cars. In ten minutes, taking the others there. Copy.”

  “Use the same route to leave. Pick me up with the remaining people. Do you copy?”

  “Copy, Koschey.”

  “Over and out. Koschey to Rabbit-one: identify the situation. Are they still just standing there? Copy.”

  “Yes, they are. Copy.”

  “Take Rabbit-two, and run to the first point of cover. You have ten minutes. Do you copy?”

  “Copy.”

  “Over and out. Svyatov! Get over here! Now!”

  “I'm listening,” said Alexei after a few seconds.

  “The police are just around the corner. Two cars are about to arrive. Leave a couple of people with me, Seven and Eight, take the rest, and rush to the base.”

  “Boss, ...”

  “It's not up for discussion.”

  “What difference does it make who stays here?”

  “Why are you all arguing with me, huh?” Deep breath. Exhale. “Do not get on my nerves, Alexei. Not now. I'll deal with the police if anything. Is that clear?”

  “Yes. Although the police can wait for us even if we take a different route.”

  “And who's going to bail you out then? There are only three cars here. There will be many more over there, if they are waiting for you. Why am I even arguing with you! Svyatov, have you completely lost all fear?”

  “I've lost one patron before. And I don't feel like losing another one.”

  “Let me say this one more time: I'll be able to get away from what awaits us here. You, on the other hand, are clearly asking for trouble. Since when do you disobey the orders of a senior in rank? Huh?”

  “Umm, I just...”

  “I, as you put it, am your patron. Is the question settled?”

  He stared at me through his helmet mask for ten seconds, but finally answered.

  “Copy... patron. I'll take care of the trucks.”

  “There they are, as a matter of fact. Act.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “One more thing, Svyatov,” I called the man as started walking away. “This is the first and last time I let it slide. From now on, learn to see when it is an appropriate time to argue and when it’s not.”

  “Yes, mein Fuhrer,” he struck his chest with his fist. The Fuhrer in Germany is also called the head of the clan.

  “Go to hell,” I said, waving my hand.

  By the time the third truck arrived, we had still not seen the police. Neither had we heard them. There was no trouble on our way back. In general, the mission was successful. Looking back and assessing it, I could assert that it was more than successful. The recruits were tested in real battle, we had no losses, and we acquired all of the enemy's silver resources, which totaled fifty-eight tons. At this point in time, its value was approximately fifty million. Akemi would get five percent of it. Koyama would have ten percent from the sales. It was through them that I was going to cash in the precious metal. In the end, I'd still have about forty-three million. In fact, I had already paid off the war with Snake and made profit. Now we could wait a few days, assess the mess that we had created, and, basically, repeat it all over again.

  ***

  Throwing my jacket on the back of the chair, I loosened my tie and plopped on the sofa. Oh, yeah, my pet fish. Though they're kind of worthless, they still need to be fed. If only I had the heart to get rid of them. I should take them to the ancestral mansion and hand them over to the Yoshioka family. When I entered my full legal age and officially settled into my office of Shidotamoru, I'd put a fish tank there, too.

  With some irrational hope, I looked at my watch, but I was rarely wrong about this: it was a little after 7 a.m., which meant that I didn’t really have time to take a nap. Well, okay, last night cheered me up and made me a great profit. That was worth going a couple of days without sleep. Military actions, though it couldn’t yet be called a war, were of equal value to me as the acquired millions. A warlock is born in battle, he develops in battle, and he dies in battle. This was how in my world, my coach, Zamrayev Alexander, aka Zombie, finished his military career at the rank of Knight. He had only one step left to the Absolute. For those tens of years that he trained warlocks, he never bridged from Knight to Absolute. Although, he, undoubtedly, increased his strength and skills. He became one of the strongest Knights but not much else. The feeling of death, escalating to the limit, did not allow him to engage in a deadly fight, and as a result, he wasn’t able to progress to the next rank. Perhaps, if he had had a “bookmark”, sooner or later he could have developed to the Absolute rank. But unfortunately, Masters aren't capable of that.

  That's why, one way or another, I would have to engage in a war with some bloodline. This, of course, was not the only reason, but one of the main ones. Possibly, it was the top reason. After all, I really wanted to be the best, well, or at least one of the best. I wasn’t not satisfied knowing that the absolute warrior in the former world, was nothing in this one. I was even a little ashamed, or not at ease—I don't know what to call it, but to be called an Absolute, while not actually being one is kind of embarrassing. If I said that I was a genius, it meant that I was a genius and there should be no doubt about that. If you said you were the best, then you had to be the best. In this world, ugh, everything turned upside down for me. Although, I have to mention that I wasn't the best in my former world either. I exaggerated a bit. Who knows now—maybe I was, but despite all my achievements, I realized that the fight was not just one-on-one combat in the arena. Life situations were very different. In addition, I had not clashed with all the Absolutes of my world. There were at least four, whom I'd never come across. Governments weren’t inclined to introduce a newly-made Absolute to the whole world. They'd be discovered sooner or later, yes, but I couldn’t be sure that before I had disappeared, I would know about all the Absolutes of my world.

  Whatever, I should just go take a shower.

  Just when I reached to undo my tie, the freaking doorbell rang. Its “ding-dong” made me tense up.

  “So sick of her,” I said out loud.

  I don’t really talk to myself, but what if the stupid local gods really did exist? Why should they not they exist, after all? I couldn’t dismiss the fact that Koyama could have installed bugs in here, either. I did hope, however, tha
t bugs were just as big of a myth as the local gods.

  Mechanically pulling back the knot of my tie, I went downstairs to open the door. My God, why on earth did my local parents install this horrible sounding doorbell? They could have at least changed it if this was the standard one that came with the place. Would that have been so hard? Why should their poor, abandoned son have to suffer because of this? Anyway, I'd have to change it for sure.

  “Yes, I'm coming!” I shouted from the stairs. I couldn't stand it anymore. Then I added much more quietly, “Devil take you. Sick of you. So sick of you.”

  However, my cry was either not heard or ignored, because, by the time I opened the door, I had had to listen to the bloody bell ring a few more times.

  I jerked the door open and stared at the beast outside.

  “Oh, Shinji, did I wake you up?” She asked, baffled.

  She must have missed out on the fact that I was standing in front of her fully clothed, with just a jacket missing.

  “You are crossing all boundaries, Mizuki. And this, you know, is not funny anymore.”

  “So I did wake you up,” she sighed. “Listen, maybe you can...”

  “No,” I growled. “You…”

  “Oh please!” She begged in a heart-breaking voice.

  “You... are weak. You are just a girl who will NEVER reach the heights in hand-to-hand combat. Bahir is your fate. Go and enjoy it, WOMAN.”

  Yes, I overreacted a bit. Yes, I even released too much Yaki. Anyway, I hadn’t even said everything I wanted, and it burned me from the inside, not letting me stop the Yaki. Closing my eyes, I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, trying to calm down. I waited for a little and looked at the girl again. Oh-ho. It seems that I overreacted more than a little bit. It was an inexpressible cocktail of resentment and fright at the same time. Oh well. She's known me so many years and should understand that I'm not the kind of person who should be provoked. When I finally calm down, I will even feel ashamed of my actions, but that will be later. I know, it's not the first time. Right now, I just wanted to put her in check, so she would finally leave me alone.

  “I... I... You...”

  “Remember, Mm-Mizuki. If you do not stop showing up at my place every morning like this, we won't be on good terms. There’ll be a huge fall-out between you and me. So, go home, play it safe.”