33 Arc 2-Chapter 22 (A pleasant surprise)

21st of August, 2011

NATO base of operations, Batman, Turkey

13:00 hours

Kill team Nemesis is resting in their room. The atmosphere is quiet, really quiet. Franklin is siting at a desk writing a letter, Takeshi is typing something on his laptop, Carla is laying on her back with her arms behind her head and eyes closed while listening to music. Victoria is reading a new book, War and peace by Leo Tolstoy and Yuri is siting on his bed with his legs crossed while cleaning and sharpening his knives and symmetrically placing them on a sheet.

This wasn't normal. Usually Franklin and Yuri are arguing about morality and Carla is being a child and annoying everyone. Everything was... peaceful.

After a few moments someone knocked on the door.

Franklin answered:"Enter!"

Captain Zeinep entered the room. Everyone stood up and saluted her. She saluted back:"At ease. Private Maksimov, if you could come with me please."

Yuri got walked over to her:"Is this about the mission report? I already explained the situation."

Zeinep replied:"No it's not. We're conducting routine firearm tests. Usually we wouldn't do something like this with non-Turkish soldiers but colonel Mustafa insisted. You will be fire several types of firearms and your performance will be tested."

Yuri nodded:"Very well." He turned to Victoria,"Make sure Carla doesn't touch my knives."

Victoria gives him a thumbs up:"Sure thing."

Yuri and Zeinep exit the room and head to the firing range. The rest of the team stopped what they were doing and quickly got up.

Carla was smiling and giggling:"I can't believe we're doing this!"

Takeshi covered her mouth with his hand:"Shut up you idiot. Don't you know how good his hearing is?"

Franklin:"Look we probably don't have much time. Zeinep managed to get as many guns as she could but we still gotta hurry."

Suddenly the door opened. The team hurried back to their spots. They thought Yuri was back, but it was actually colonel Mustafa along with captain Berat.

The colonel chuckled:"You're quick but you have to work on your stealth. Let's get started, Berat?"

Berat brought a duffle bag with him. Inside was alcohol and some party decorations. He started pulling out bottles. Colonel threw Franklin his keys:"Go to the secondary meeting room and bring back the table that's there. Takeshi you go help him and make sure to tell Zeinep to occupy Yuri for as long as possible. Victoria you help Berat with the decorations. Carla, I trust you got the music covered?"

Carla smirked:"You take me for an amateur?"

Mustafa laughed:"Alright soldiers double time. Let's make this party good."

"Yes sir!", the team yelled out and went to do their designated tasks.

(Meanwhile)

Firing range

Zeinep and Yuri finished placing down the weapons Yuri was going to use. He will be firing with several different types of handguns, SMGs, Assault rifles, Shotguns and Marksmen rifles.

Zeinep thought to herself:"Ok, so I have dozens of guns here. He's gonna have to shoot two or three clips of each and I'll have to calculate. This should by them a few hours."

Yuri walked over to the handguns and picked up the Canik TP9:"Shall I get started?"

Zeinep replied:"Yes, go ahead and fire at the targets."

Yuri aimed the pistol at the target and unloaded the clip in three seconds into the head of the target, reloaded almost immediately, unloaded again into the centre of the target, reloaded and emptied into the centre again.

Everything was done in 10 seconds. Zeinep's jaw dropped as she thought:"Oh man I should've brought more. Please hurry."

Yuri put the Canik TP9 down and picked up the Girsan Yavuz 16:"Shall I continue Captain Yildiz?"

Zeinep blinked and got back to her senses:"Y-Yes just let me change out the targets."

(90 minutes later)

Yuri just finished firing the SVD. Zeinep wrote down the results:"And another perfect score. Wow, you're not the best for nothing. Right now you hold the highest score in almost every firearm category."

Yuri:"Almost?"

Zeinep:"Yeah, Carla has the highest score with the sniper rifle."

Yuri:"Makes sense. That would be everything. Are there any firearms that I have not used?"

Zeinep:"Oh no I think that's everything. Lemme just write down the results."

Yuri:"If that is everything I will return to my quarters."

Zeinep:"Oh I'll walk you back."

Yuri:"I do not see the need in that."

Zeinep:"Well... I don't really have anything to do so why not."

Yuri:"Very well. I do not object."

They walked out of the firing range. Zeinep looked up at him:"Why do you always talk so formal and professional?"

Yuri:"It is how I was taught to talk."

Zeinep:"Ok then. Couldn't hurt to speak normally ones in a while. I-I mean, just, like everyone else. Using slang and things like that."

Yuri:"I will make an attempt, however I was never introduced to slang so my knowledge is limited."

Zeinep:"I can teach you a few things. But you'll learn eventually. It's like adapting to your surroundings."

Yuri:"Interesting. Carla keeps saying something I find strange. What is popping, I believe."

Zeinep:"Oh yeah. It's actually 'Wus poppin?'."

Yuri:"But nothing was popping. Why would she ask that?"

Zeinep sighs and pats his shoulder:"You have a lot to big guy."

Yuri:"I am not that big. I have seen men larger than myself."

Zeinep sighs again:"Point proven."

(Meanwhile)

Everyone gathered in the room. All the preparations were completed.

Victoria:"Gotta say I'm feeling nervous."

Franklin:"Yeah same. I just can't to see his face when we-" he stopped talking and widened his eyes, "Oh hell nah."

Takeshi:"What?"

Franklin:"We forgot the crate."

Carla:"You mean THE crate? Ah shit."

Franklin:"Let's go Takesh. If we hurry we can make it."

(Ten minutes later)

Yuri and Zeinep were walking down the hallway on their way to the team's quarters. On the way Zeinep taught Yuri a few things about slang and modern talk.

Yuri:"So saying 'what's poppin' is the same as saying 'what's up'?"

Zeinep:"Yeah."

Yuri:"And that's the same as saying 'How are you' and 'How are things'."

Zeinep:"Exactly! See you're learning."

They share a few laughs while walking down the hallway. Zeinep spots the door slightly opened and the lights were on. This can't be good.

Zeinep turns Yuri around and looks at her papers:"Umm, ok so. You've done everything I asked you to do. I just need you to sign your name on the individual tests."

Yuri takes a pen and signs his name. Behind him Zeinep sees Franklin and Takeshi carrying a crate. They make faces to try and tell her to stall him.

Yuri finished signing the papers:"Alright, that is all."

Zeinep grabs him arm:"W-Wait. I-I-I-I have a question to-to ask you."

Yuri:"Very well."

Zeinep:"Uuummm, I-I-I... like... someone? There's a-a-a guy I like and y-you're a guy right? So do you know a good way to approach a guy? Like, what's the best way?"

Yuri:"Hmmm. I do not have any experience regarding romantic relationships and therefore I am unable to help in your predicament."

Zeinep lowers her head:"Oh! Oh ok, that's cool."

Yuri:"However, I recommend telling the truth and speaking your mind. Be open and honest. You can explain your feelings to him in a, how do you say it, blunt way."

Zeinep smiles:"Oh really? So guys like honesty?"

Yuri:"I simply hate lies."

Zeinep:"Well thank you. I'll go and try my best."

Yuri:"No. Either do or do not. There is no try."

Zeinep smirks and then laughs:"Really? You gotta get in with the times that movie is very old."

Yuri:"I will keep that in mind. Have a nice day Captain."

Zeinep:"You too."

She leaves and Yuri heads to the quarters. He slowly opened the door, only to find pitch blackness. The hallway didn't have windows and no light could come into the room.

Yuri slowly entered, one careful step at a time. When he got in, the door slammed. Yuri turned around, grabbed the man in the shadows and pinned him to the ground.

Then suddenly, the lights turned on the everyone shouted:"SURPRISE!" Only to change their expression from happy to shocked when they see Yuri pinning Takeshi on the ground.

Yuri looked around the room and tries understand what was happening:"What is this? Takeshi explain."

Takeshi barely uttered:"Lemme go and I'll tell you."

Yuri lets him go. He gets up and coughs a little:"Happy birthday."

Yuri stood there perplexed. This is...new. No one celebrated his birthday in eleven years. It wasn't a new experience just... nostalgic.

Franklin:"It is your birthday isn't it? I'm pretty sure we got the date right."

Yuri:"You did but... why?"

Carla:"What do you mean why? You're our friend dummy! Of course we're gonna celebrate."

Victoria:"Plus you pretty much saved all our lives in Colombia so this is a good way to thank you."

Takeshi:"We finally got a breather and wanted to do something nice to you. We get that life is hard and we gotta look out for each other."

Yuri:"And, Colonel Mustafa and Captain Berat?"

Berat:"Yeah we helped. So did Zeinep. The whole gun testing was fake, we just needed time to set things up."

In that moment the door opened and Zeinep walked in:"Happy birthday Yuri."

Yuri looked down and shook his head:"Why did you do this? You gain nothing from it."

Carla:"Dude that doesn't matter. You're our friend it's not like we're gonna skip it. And you need some time to cool off and just relax. Plus we got cake, beer and music."

Victoria pulls back a chair at the head of the table:"Now come on, sit."

Yuri slowly walks to the chair and sits down. Franklin lights the candles.

Everyone started singing:"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Yuri, happy birthday to you!"

Victoria:"Now make a wish and blow out the candles."

Yuri:"All right. I wish-"

Carla:"Upupupupupup, nooooope. Don't you know you're not supposed to say your wish out loud. It won't come true if you do."

Yuri:"Sorry." He thinks of something and then blows out the candles. Everyone claps their hands and Franklin hands Yuri a knife to cut the cake. Yuri takes it and cuts the cake into eight equal pieces.

Takeshi:"Ok time for the presents."

Mustafa:"Sorry we didn't get you anything. We found out a few days ago."

Yuri:"It is fine. I never asked for any of this."

Franklin gives him his present:"Of course you didn't, that's why did it. Now open mine first."

Yuri opens the present and finds a book with the title 'A scrubs guide to bombs' by Franklin Jones.

Franklin laughs:"You like it? I wrote this myself, first edition."

Yuri examines the book:"This knowledge will be useful. Thank you."

Carla:"Ohohohohohoh, I'm next I'm next." She gives Yuri a small box. He opened it and found an MP3 player, "How's that? Now you get to listen to all the awesome tunes I listen to. Ain't that great?!"

Yuri puts the headphones on and plays the first song. It's Can't touch this by MC Hammer. He starts moving his head in the rhythm.

He yells out:"The tune is pleasant!". Then he takes them off and Victoria gives him her present. It's also a small box. Yuri opened it and it and his eyes widened.

It was a necklace, but not just any kind. As he slowly pulled it out he realised it was a cross, just like the one he lost. He placed in his palm and closed his fist before shedding a few tears. Everyone in the room watched as he cried. Yuri, the Reaper, cried.

He stood up and looked at Victoria:"There were only two people that ever gave me something like this. You are the third. Thank you, truly."

Victoria hugged him. As he cried on her shoulder, she whispered to his ear:"It's from Carla. She wanted to give you two presents."

He raised his head and looked into her eyes before looking at Carla. She stood there with her arms crossed smiling.

Yuri walked over to her. Compared to him, she was like a child. As Yuri looked down at her, he bent over and hugged her. She smiled more and hugged him back.

He whispered softly:"Thank you."

Takeshi:"Ahem. If you're done I would like to give you my present."

Carla and Yuri walked away from each other and he opened Takeshi's present. It was a book, a comic book, but not a normal one. The cover was this strange red symbol and there was a man with a metal arm and a large sword.

Yuri:"What is this?"

Takeshi:"That is a manga called Berserk. It's pretty popular and kinda old."

Yuri:"Why would you give me this. Comic books are for children."

Takeshi:"Read a few pages and you won't think that."

Yuri opened it and started reading. The first panels confused him. As he kept reading it was stranger and stranger. He asked:"Who was that woman?"

Takeshi:"She was a demon and this guy blew her face off with his prosthetic arm cannon. Later he chops more of them with him large and thick sword."

This was unexpected for Yuri. He caught a few glimpses of comics before but he assumed that story books and comic books were just for children and not worth his time.

Victoria:"Oh hey, I wanted to give you my gift. My actual gift."

She gives him a box. When he opened it he found a framed photo of him and his team. It was them in the African joint base after they killed Bakome.

Yuri gave a warm smile:"This is nice. Thank you. All of you. You gave me something I never knew I needed. I am eternally grateful."

Carla:"Don't sweat it big guy. Now it's time to party! Mustafa get the beer!"

Mustafa:"That's colonel Mustafa. But I'll allow it for today."

They grabbed drinks, cranked the tunes and the party began.

———————————————

(Eleven hours later)

Yuri turned off the boombox. He was the only one who didn't pass out from alcohol. Oddly enough, Carla came pretty close but no dice. Everyone was on the floor, including the Turkish officers.

Yuri grabbed some extra pillows and bedsheets and put them to sleep on the floor. He picked up his teammates one by one and tucked them into bed. Even Franklin, a man larger than him, wasn't hard to lift and carry.

When he finished putting Victoria down she opened her eyes and softly spoke:"You know, underneath those muscles, scars and that cold heart, there's actually just a big softy that only wants love and affection. That's what I believe anyway." She yawned and went back to sleep.

Yuri went outside and climbed on the roof. As he looked at the full moon, he held his new cross and pondered:"This is wrong. Emotions lead to weakness and that leads to death. I know this, I felt it before, and yet...Maybe, maybe this time it will be different. Maybe the cycle will end. Mother, I will try. One more time. I will try to love them. And I won't loose them, not again. I'm stronger this time, I won't fail. I can't fail. I mustn't. I will win."

End of chapter 22

Thank you for reading