"Haah. Hmmm."

    Shadil was quite close. It was already morning and he was already masturbating to the recording of the night that just ended. In his own room, with the camera all connected to a tube TV to display the recording.

    "Shit, shit." He started to beat his meat with more urgency, looking at how he fucked her while she was tied to the bed. "Hmm!"

    Knock-knock.

    "No fucking way."

    He pretended not to be on the room and made sure to lower the TV's volume. He tried to keep on nutting, but it proved impossible.

    Knock-knock.

    "Oh, FUCK IT!" He stopped at once and went straight to put all the things off and disconnect the camcoder from the TV. "Wait a fucking minute." He growled while putting some clothes on his nether regions.

    When he finally opened aggressively the door, Juan was waiting here with a wine bottle on his hands.

    "Motherfucker." The indian spy didn't spat because he didn't feel like having to clean it later, and he knew Juan was stupid enough to not get offended by him spitting in his face either. Somehow, he was orbitating him like a loyal parrot that wouldn't shut up until it got their cracker. "I can't even have a fucking nut without you runing it!?"

    "You told me there would be women in our room..."

    "That was yesterday and only for me, you goddamned moron." Shadil pressed his fingers on his brown in a futile attempt to make his headache go away. "Besides, it was the manager. And I know you would not touch anyone two tones darker than your own skin, so I didn't plan to invite you either."

    "You make me look like such a fiend. I am not that much of a racist, you know."

    "Ha. You still call me dirty cow kisser when you believe I am not listening. Please, stop pretending you are a smart psychological genius. You don't even know how to lie."

    "Heh." Juan had a disgusting grin on his face. "Maybe you are right."

    "I am fucking right, for starters."

    The mood of Shadil was getting worse, proppelling itself against the floor. To distract his head from the rage, he grabbed a shirt and started to button it. While at that, he just scrapped his teeth using the tongue and felt the mixture of the mint from Banan's french kisses, but also the taste of her pussy. I have to brush soon. He looked at Juan as he was fickling with the camera.

    "Who said you could touch that, you fucker."

    "Sony?"

    "Your fucking mother, actually."

    "Dude, stop being such a jerk." The spaniard mocked being deeply hurt. "I've been doing all the tasks you told me to while you were gone. And I had to go drink alone all the time because my best friend was having some tropical vacations while we were on this frozen witch's shithole. I thought we were partners in crime."

    "No offense, but that sounds hella' gay to me."

    "What's gay about wanting to be with friend?"

    "Look, Juan, I have not the patience for this now." Shadil looked at him making the most stern look he could so the guy in front of him would get it. "Good for you for being able to follow instructions without coloring over the lines. Now, scram."

    "No."

    Shadil contemplated his options. And he had to use the most hurtful one so he would make the pest go away.

    "I'll make a voodoo spell that shrinks your cock even more if you don't."

    "Okay, okay!" Juan looked both flustered and somehow - kinda scared about the idea. Of course he would believe in such a thing. And he was the one that wanted to be a magician, yet he only reached to be a crappy ventriloquist on open TV. Fucking loser. Shadil tought as he watched Juan leave as if he had a rocket up his arsehole.

    Maybe I should stuff him up with lead one of these days so I don't hear him anymore... or well, he is already one foot in the grave with so much alcohol he is taking. He lit himself a cigarette and puffed.

***

    The cans were flying on the air as Emil was shooting them.

    "Improving quite a lot, you little bug." Rurik smiled. "And look who is here to bother us."

    Bakarne walked to see Emil being tutored on the backyard. He was wearing a small poncho made out of the goat hair and skin that would keep him warm. Rurik was already cooking, having gotten an old pot from the kitchen that would fit enough food for everyone. On his hand he had a mortar where he was crushin some herbs with salt and pepper.

    "Hm. Smells good." She didn't feel stranged by the fact Emil was there. That solved the mystery of his sudden improvement. "What are we having today?"

    "For you, nothing. Go do something and grab some of the meet from the freezer."

    "Mieh."

    She got towards a block of ice that was hiding besides some of the greenery. The inside of the block was hollow and holding some of the meat, to preserve them. After picking up some, she came back.

    "Just put it slowly, piece by piece." Rurik commanded as he put the crushed herbs on the boiling water, that only had some vegetables so far. "It will take a while to cook, so you better be patient."

    The smell of the stew was at least pleasurable. While waiting for it to be cooked, they sat down and started to bicker. Rurik found out that people from the Iberian peninsula were inclined to dirty jokes more than he would have liked. But he couldn't stop but have some of his stress leaving. Both of them were easy to be around with.

    "Tell me, Emil. How did you end in this place?"

    "Oh... I was in the roleplay club of my university. You know, Dungeons and Dragons and things like those. Because the nerds there were the ones that also knew being put away so they didn't care about my etnics so much. And because of a dare, I got contacted by those weird men in black, and couldn't convince that I was a normal guy after." He said, completely straight, zero stutter."

    "Woah." Rurik laught. "Explains your lack of mean blood."

    "Hey, so what about your squeezer?" Bakarne asked. "I noticed Elizabeth being a bit more away these couple of days."

    "I wish I'd new. But... I think she is having an existential crisis."

    "At her age? Damn, the world truly be such a shithole." She looked away. "Not even the young ones be smiling anymore..."

    "At least I say things on people's faces rather than chitchating on their back, you bunch of rotten vollidioten."

    They all turned their heads to see Elizabeth standing there, wearing a dark coat and trembling of cold. She looked furious. Emil got up first and offered her to sit down in his place, but she ignored it.

    "Traitor rats." Said looking at Emil and Bakarne. "You'd rather be hanging with this stranger instead of your friends. What's your excuse?"

    "You only want to chat with me if you can bother me or talk about yourself." Bakarne said plainly. "Never asked me truly about myself."

    "Well, that is because..." She bit her lip for a moment. She wasn't wrong.

    "And two days ago you said you didn't want to see my face ever again." Poked Emil. "And you meant it."

    "Yeah, that's..."

    Rurik sighed and got up. He gestured his spot.

    "Sit down there, missy, and talk things with your friends until you guys have fixed up stuff. Smurfs, check the pot from time to time. Will come back in a moment."

    "Were ya' going?"

    "Call of nature." Rurik responded with no much emotion, and futhered on the woods, leaving them alone. For only them be in silent completely. No arguments, no shouts. Just plain uncomfortable silence. When Bakarne felt bored of it, she just checked the pot and gave it a stir.

    No one had the minimal interest of a healthy discussion. And on their situation of internal focus, they didn't notice the figure that was approaching them until Elizabeth did fast. One soldier of the foreign faction they vulgarly called "breedless".

    They all jumped fast, but the lone soldier aimed at them before they could grab their weapons. Even in number advantage, they knew they had to be smart or one of them could be dropping dead before taking him down. The soldier started to speak something, and it was not long they noticed he had German accent. Elizabeth came closer, and spoke back.

    "Where do you come from?" She asked, as the soldier frantically aimed to her. "Is there anyone with you?"

    "Like the fuck I am telling you, whore." Elizabeth was still hands up in the air.

    "I am one of yours." She insisted. "I have my uniform below."

    "I wont fall for that."

    "For real." She started to bring down her hands very slowly so she could take the thick coat off, but the soldier was looking even more unsettled. He looked as if he had been starving for days. Before she was able to finally reach the first button, she got shoot on the right side. She grabbed it instinctively and looked at the guy. "I told you the truth! Stop!"

    But she got shot again, and now one of her ears took the round. And she would have been shot a third time if it wasn't for Rurik's appearance, who rounded the scene from their backs. All of them closed their eyes - in the exact same moment the bayonet of the rifle drilled the skull of the soldier and pinned it against a nearby tree. All of them kept the eyes shut, even them who were used to death felt that to be unnecesarily gross. Only sounds.

    When they stopped hearing anything, Rurik was walking towards the building with the head of the soldier, severed, in his hands.

    "I'm going to have a talk with the manager." He mustered. All his uniform now painted red. "Take care of that girl's injuries right now." And turned the back on them, only to receive a few bullets. Elizabeth holding her gun and looking at him bewildered. Yet her hands were shaking.

    "Listen to me, broad." Rurik looked at her and advanced fast. In matter of seconds, he grabbed her gun and took it away. "If you are such a coward to shoot someone in their back after they save you, then there is no way you can complain about your friends doing the same later, you know. Be glad I don't pursue fakes like you."

    And he left, only followed by Bakarne, who was already knowing the manager will scream if he entered her office in such disgusting state and tainted her room. Emil, unable to smile, stepped once towards the injuried girl, but she fastly went out toward the infirmary as fast as she could with the pained leg. Only him left there, to sit and watch the pot alone.

***

    Night arrived. Everyone was in their spots, weapons ready. Snipers on the windows. Guards on the doors. No one lacking enough options for murder. George felt a pressure out of this world as everyone has suddenly become a professional. He felt himself like a completely stranger, but wanted to help and had been put on one of the doors to help out a duo of an experimented guard but also a rookie one. The rookie thanked George's back pats and they watched over the hall intently.

    Banan was on the back of her office. There was only one desk with a phone there, and a card of numbers for the emergencies. Now that they confirmed one spy to come in, she assumed they really got their intel leaked. She knew she had to dial the only string of numbers that were printed in red. But minutes passed. There was no response.

    "Damn it." She said. She heard someone entering the room. When she cocked her head to see who it was, she felt slightly relieved.

    "I know only one day has passed." She commented from the back. "But you should give me any information you have, right now."

    Shadil smiled.

    "I could do better if the poor soul wasn't killed first." He leaned on the desk. Rurik had prompted the office before and left the remains of the corpse, head included, atop the now dried blood covered table, which made Banan kick him out and only ask Bakarne and Emil about the incident. Somehow, when it was those three, something always happened. "So, this guy was German, you say?"

    "Well, at least Elizabeth communicated with him. She said she tried only to stop him from shooting."

    "Can anyone else confirm?"

    "Sadly, no." She negated with a movement of her head. "So we can't exclude the idea she is involved, for example. But now, more important, I want you to investigate every single corner of the border and entrances to the base. Find any leak. Bring you someone with you too. If you find anything suspicios, call me inmediatedly."

    "They better be paying you well for so much stress you deal with this work." Shadil got up and kissed her cheek. "See ya later."

    She could not rest as Gyeong herself came after.

    "All of them ready?" She asked, with the most serious expression anyone could have watched her in.

    "Yes. Everyone is. Now we await for orders."

***

    Last minute arrangements had to be made to the the circuit of bombs that were tied to the skirts of the building. That was of course left in hands of Fanny and Bakarne, who amicably and not so amicably, spat on the floor as they saw each other in the roof.

    "Hello, thief."

    "Hello, loser."

    Without delay, they occuppied their spots and watched the place over, with the main base controller in the middle of them, and the hand controllers on their hands connected to the machine. They both just observed the sky, much clearer without any lights on the whole building. The starry night was a beautiful sight to behold before death.

    One hour passed.

    A second one as well.

    None of them seemed interested on making the time flow faster with a conversation. Focused on the job of watching if any airstrike or expedition entered during the night. Fanny lit herself a smoke, despite it has been a few years since the last time she had one, she felt like it was a good time for one. And for once, she did her best to make amends with someone.

    "Do you want one?" She offered to the glasses woman.

    "No, thank you. That is such an unhealthy habit to have, you know." Bakarne said, as she took a long sip from a wine bottle.

    "You are right." Fanny took back the package, now only two more cigarettes left after all these years.

    A third hour passed.

    Nothing to see. Only thing moving outside finally, but it was Shadil, who had permission. They looked at him entering the backyard's secret entrance. Bakarne frowned like a dog.

    "I hate that fucker."

    "You know, for once we agree on something."

    They both looked at him and wished to push the trigger when he was closer to one of the bombs on the borders. But of course, they contained the urge and kept looking up.

    A fourth hour passed. Their heads a bit down, tired. Necks in pain.

    "Hey, thief." The Basque started this time for a chat. "If you had to choose how to die, what would it be?"

    "Hum." Fanny took her beanie and scratched her head some before putting it back. "I really never gave that much thought. But if I had to choose..."

    She waited a bit before her answer, looking straight at the mountains.

    "You know, it would be good to die besides someone that doesn't hate me." She looked at Bakarne. "Death doesn't sound as scary if there is someone to comfort you."

    "Hum."

    "Don't hum at me." The redhead realized how corny her words were and felt her pale cheeks becoming completely red, and not just from the cold. "What about you? Would you rather die alone or with someone?"

    "My name means solitude in Basque." She replied. "And honestly, I plan to keep such meaning to the very end."

    They never talked again during the rest of the night.

***

    Shadil was back on the room, trying to choose another tape to watch. Juan was for once allowed to sit on bed, instead of his camping bed in the floor. He had started the very same bottle of champagne he got up.

    "So you are the one that left that poor bastard there for them to find?"

    "Yes, and I am glad he got killed by that monster. Honestly, the fact that German chick came almost destroyed my plans. If they managed to speak more it could have ruined it all." He mustered. "Well, the guy had been starved and tortured the previous days to avoid him being friendly anyway, just in case. But it was still a big risk."

    "And what is the next phase?" Juan got himself comfortable on the pillows.

    "Paranoia." Shadil rejoiced at the idea. "Now everyone truly believes in traitors inside the Division. And once they all go towards another base, this one will be all mine."

    "Mind you to explain me why? Why are you doing this?"

    "I know you are stupid, but is not my work to any exposition. Go grab a fucking map and some books and maybe you will understand. You fucking paella eater."

    They both observed the black screen of the television as Shadil was still fingering between tapes. Finally, he got a couple up.

    "Which one do you want to see? Thick Chinese rural rookie Yu sucking on the Afroamerican Nigel that is on charge of patrols, or are you curious about one of my adventures with the Portuguese serial killer twins?"

    "Man, have you fucked everyone here? And also, what is that fetish about recording people without their consent? Even I think that is extra messed up."

    "I haven't asked for a moral opinion, halfbrain. Choose one."

    "Eh, the Portuguese twins, I guess."

    Hah. Incest over interacial sex. Of course he would choose that. Fucking catholics. Shadil thought to himself as he put the tape on the Betamax player.

    "VHS is better, by the way."

    "Shut the fuck up." He sat and pressed the play button on the remote.

    They both watched the crudely recorded action and masturbated at the same time.

    "You actually fuck good." Juan commented. "In a non homosexual way, I mean, eh?"

"Sure, sure, I know. Non gay at all."

***

    On the infirmary, Elizabeth was reading as she was recovering for her injuries. Because of the movement, she couldn't ask any compatible blood for transfusion and was left to recover with some food and she only passed time reading the medicine manuals on the shelves around. She fumed when she heard someone close and the clack of the door to open the room. Fastly, she burrowed herself on the blankets, book included, and waited, feeling her heart racing. For a moment, she thought her heart would leave her body abruptly.

    One small thud sounded close to her and the steps decreased back, and heard the door opening and closing again. Not daring yet to check what was left in case the sound was a trick, she kept her body still. And finally she heard the steps from the outside, geting far away.

    Very slowly, she got her back straight on the bed. Whoever it was, had left a small bouquet of wildflowers from the mountain on the night stand. I bet it was that guy. She thought. Stupid idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

    But far from reality. As for once, it was Rurik who decided to have a kind gesture to her when no one was able to due to the alert situation. He smiled and decided to go towards the old warehouse, following the directions he got.

    To take away as much as extra compatible ammo he could for himself. The place was stingy and smelling like dust. Just like the rest of the building, but extra pugnent in that room. He knew it was used before by Bakarne by a pair of glasses like the same she wears, but completely broken on the table. He would also see a red uniform hanging in one of the corners, but had no idea what it was for.

    He didn't need to look for long, as the boxes with Soviet ammunition were already taken out recently. He grabbed as much as he could fit in his pockets and his belt bags. Before going he made sure to close with a key, not before a last look at the sad, lone room.

***

    Emil looked at the prairie in the front entrance of the base. Unlike something he has saw being born and raised in a city, the open field was much more welcoming. He thanked he got the goat poncho, as the wind breeze was becoming much more harsh and he was used to the warmth of the Spanish south. Kinda, he missed when he used every summer with his friends to the fruit fields to grab fruits and eat them watching the scenery change as the time passed.

    "Cannot be helped. I am here now." And he shot a bottle left faraway. But this time, he absolutely failed. "Haah."

    He sat on a concrete-made fence and mumbled.

    "The only thing I wanted to do was having the coolest Live Role Play ever with my friends. Fuck my life."