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He found himself on the floor.
He didn't remember how he got there.
But he was warm—there was a blanket on his shoulders and a pillow under his head, the earbuds still on, but phone turned off and placed ten centimetres to his left.
He remembered doing push-ups in the morning, but it was still early enough to go for breakfast. He got tired and the music weirdly changed to his old playlists he forgot listening to already.
They were Russian, which is why they always had some sort of тоска mixed within. No matter what song it was—a romantic one or a cheerful one—it always had a bit of sorrow in it.
Sova sat up and turned his phone on. His back and chest felt hurt after a few hours of the floor, but he didn't care; the missions, where he had to sleep on the cold or hot (he always disliked Bind more than Icebox) ground with hell of a lot of pebbles on it, were way worse than this. He checked his MP3-player (he loved it way more for simplicity; plus it was the one he programmed himself long before updating his owl drone) and the last song he was listening to appeared to be 'светомузыка' by дурной вкус. He enjoyed it a lot during the military, and he had sang it a long time ago in their music group with Breach and some other agents before becoming too shy to sing such songs.
Sova decided to message Sage.
"Здравствуй, Sage, прости for interrupting, did you come into my room?"
It wasn't unusual for them to use simple words in the messages, plus Sova and Sage had a habit of exchanging knowledge of their languages sometimes. Sage answered almost immediately:
" 你好 , Sova, 不是 , it wasn't me. Has anything happened?"
"Nothing important. I was just curious who was here and wanted to see me."
" 对不起 , I do not know. Shall I ask Cypher?"
"No. Thank you."
Sova looked at the clock on his phone. It was 8 a.m., which meant he was asleep for almost an hour on the floor. After placing the blanket and pillow on the bed and checking his look in the mirror, Sova sighed and decided to take a cold shower.
The weather outside was rainy.
Cypher was bored and had obvious signs of serious sleep deprivation, but being bored was more important to him than anything else. That was the reason to his deciding to listen to some music. And, of course, he was sick of his own. He needed something new! That's how he broke into some of the agents playlists and found new stuff for himself.
Although he found out that Sova, whose choice of melodies was the most entertaining to study, didn't have any playlists online. Which meant that when he was jogging or working out he listened to downloaded music. And Amir, feeling high and happy to find new things to do, looked at the clock and understood two things: the first one was that it was already half past six, which meant that Sova was supposed to be at the range, like usual; the second one was that Sova wouldn't take his MP3-player into the range due to the loud noises, so it was supposed to stay in his room, which is absolutely free!
So it was decided: go into his room, check his gadget and gather some intel of his music taste. Cypher knew already about his love to weird dubstep stuff, but what if there was more than that? He had to listen! He must learn!
And with this, he went out of the lab.
He found Sova on the floor. Sleeping with his earbuds on.
The man didn't have a shirt on him. Usually Sova would wear plain clothes, but they would never reveal his back and chest; Cypher didn't know whether it was Sova's natural shyness of being naked, his cultural feature, or something else. He suspected 'something else' like old scars and stuff. And yes, a few of them really were there, but Cypher remembered even how Sova got them and the missions when they appeared. But his dislike to showing more skin than usual appeared way earlier. So, Cypher assumed, it had nothing to do with these scars.
Sova was quietly snoring. Cypher could hear it only after listening to the silence for some time, which he found funny at some point. The floor felt harsh to Cypher's humble opinion, so he moved on tiptoes to Sova's bed and covered the man with a blanket. After founding out that Sova was unaware of his presence (which was unusual, since on the missions Sova was always sleeping like a cat, always ready to catch his prey) Cypher pulled a pillow under his head as well. Only after this he plugged his flash drive into MP3-player (which, as he thought after scanning it for a few seconds, was also made by Sova; it was simple and intuitive, just like all of Sova's few gadgets) and downloaded a whole bunch of music.
Then he left the room quietly. The only person he saw in the corridor was Sage, who smiled at him when they met after a few seconds after leaving Sova's room, and she clearly didn't see him going in and out of Sova's bedroom.
So he appeared in his lab again, scanning through warious music and looking into the numbers and data of the dates of downloads and the last dated of being listened to. An hour later, when his boredom started to fade away, he went to his bed and fell asleep.
He saw Nora in his dreams again. Before he woke up, he heard someone singing. It was a person whose face he didn't have a chance to see. He didn't know the language as well. The man dissappeared in a pure bright light. He woke up blinded by the sun.
It was midday, and he was starving.
Unfortunately to Sova, he couldn't find who went into his room. By the evening he couldn't have cared less about it, though; they suddenly were reported of having another radianite activity, which meant another mission. This time it was Bind. Sova was stoic during the meeting, just like always, but part of him wished to stay at the base; he loathed the heat of that place, and he despised the feeling of the teleports there even more. But he was assigned to go there with Clove, Killjoy, Reyna and Cypher. So they packed their things in no time and went to the jet.
"What a nice evening to go there, isn't it?" asked Cypher, who sat next to him for some reason. Clove and Killjoy were discussing something on the other side of the plane, while Reyna sometimes added something in their speech.
Sova already felt hot. He skipped some details in his uniform during the preparing to make his being on Bind less shitty, but the vest and other parts were already making him sweat. Sova thought for a second that even if he wore nothing but his underwear (which sounded hilarious when thinking of the battlefield), he wouldn't feel less like shit at all.
"Truly," he answered shortly. It's not that he disliked talking to Cypher; he just always had a feeling that Cypher was playing chess with you without you knowing it during the conversations, which is why Sova didn't have a good feeling about all this. Although for his own sake he decided not to go with his gut feelings and continued honestly: "Но здесь всё равно ужасно жарко. I have no idea how you survive here in all your gear. Even Killjoy's jacket doesn't look so hot."
Sova knew that when he was nervous or when he was uncomfortable he could sometimes lose his ability to speak properly; although at that moment he didn't think he said something weird. Cypher laughed louder than most of the time, which caught other agents' attention, but only for a second, after which they continued to chat. Sova was still processing what was wrong when Cypher finally said:
"Oh, Sova, thank you, thank you. I would have never thought you'd ever say that I look hot. What a great evening, indeed!"
Despite his cheerful voice he sounded a bit off. Sova rolled his eyes and felt a blush on his cheeks and ears, partly because of the heat.
"You're an adult, а всё ведёшь себя как ребёнок."
"Ah, I don't understand the second part, but I'm pretty sure I can guess. Ha-ha! You are the one who made that mistake and you're blaming me for joking about it?"
His voice was definitely strange. Sova sighed.
"Cypher, did you have a good sleep? You look tired."
Cypher's eyes (or, eh, cameras?) became rounder than before. Then the same smile appeared in his voice. "Hm. You're way too perceptive, my friend. But do not worry, I had a good sleep this morning. And what about you? I hope the floors weren't too harsh for your stomach?"
"Погодь, it was you?"
"We're finally here!" Killjoy exclaimed. The airplane was landing, finally, so they had to take their gear and go to the sites they were supposed to protect.
Ironically, but Cypher and Sova were separated. Cypher, with a mischevous look of his… mask, went on B, while Sova and Killjoy stayed on A. Sova took his Sheriff and Operator and stood on Tower. With the first signs of movement, the battle started.
Sova shot a revealing arrow to A-short, which was broken soon after it scanned the zone one time. He saw the silhouettes of Neon and Fade. Killjoy, who already made her setups, said to the comms about two people near them. Reyna, who was in the window on B, mentioned hearing footsteps, and Cypher spotted Iso on A-long with his camera. Sova tried to think harder while aiming at B-short: he had no idea who would have the spike and where would they want to plant it. More than that, they knew about four people and their positions, but where is the fifth one?
When Killjoy was spotted by Fade's Haunt, she had to retreat to the entrance to the tower to get rid of the effect. At the same time, Omen placed one smoke to their lamps.
"What's you status?" Sova asked.
"One down," Cypher said with satisfaction in his voice. Iso was killed, and Reyna was fighting Omen before Clove placed a smoke in their window and let Reyna escape without problems.
"Omen got one bullet in the chest. Still alive, though," Reyna said.
"No spike?"
"No spike."
Then there was a loud shot from Sova's side. "Neon is down," he said. Then Sova spotted someone in the bath. It was Vyce, and she tried to shoot Killjoy's alarmbot, but it blew right in the entrance to the site, making Vyse unable to enter it, but divulging her position.
"Vyse is the fifth agent, she's in the bath. Fade escaped to B-link, she's probably near Omen now. I think she has the spike. Be careful. Killjoy," he said, looking at the girl down the ladder, "go to B-site, I think they'll push."
"But I shouldn't leave you on site alone," she said.
"I'm not alone. Your turret is still on and if anything happens, blow your warms."
"They are nanoswarms!" Killjoy laughed. "Okay, see ya!"
And off she went.
Sova continued watching the site. Vyse didn't show herself, and he didn't see her on A-short as well. She might have gone to the links, but other agents in the comms didn't say anything about her.
Suddenly he heard a scream. Reyna was killed by Omen, who was already in the window on B, and Clove got shot. One of the Cypher traps which was used on Iso was also broken.
"Well, it seems our little owl was right after all," Cypher said. "They indeed try to push. Would you like to join us?"
Sova looked at the map. Now it was four against three, but the position of Vyse wasn't clear.
"I'll stay, just in case. Vyse may be near."
"Got you."
A few minutes passed. Sova looked at the map and saw that Fade already went through B-long. After a moment Sova sent a shock dart.
"Wow, Sova!" Clove yelled. "You hit her! I'm impressed. Oh, shite, her cats are here! A-ah!"
Sova didn't know what happened then, but he assumed that Vyse ulted on their site. Cypher, Clove and Killjoy lost their guns in one second, and then Vyse went to elbow and killed Clove. When Killjoy tried to help Clove, she was killed with a headshot as well. Cypher was the one to shoot Vyse down: "Erased."
"Are you hurt?" Sova asked.
"Only a little," Cypher answered. "Uh, I hate visiting underground doctors."
In one swift motion they were even. Omen and Fade against Sova and Cypher. Sova looked at the map. Cypher was standing still.
"Cypher?"
"Huh?" He sounded tired. "Sorry. There are three bodies on the same spot. It looks a bit... curious, I must say."
"Cypher, they both went to the teleport. I need your help here. We'll take them home as soon as we..."
And that's when he got bitten by Fade's cat.
Sova instinctively pressed himself to the wall when his vision became black and the world around him lost its usual sounds.
He saw the monsters he was fighting in his dreams sometimes. He saw Clove and Killjoy lying in their own blood, looking at him with unblinking eyes. And then, he saw her.
Fade.
She pointed a gun at his chest. She was already so close to him.
Of course she was. He didn't change his position and he got caught by her cat and then by her ult.
Her gaze was cold. But at the same time as she shot at him, Sova heard a loud gunshot from another side.
Then his vision cleared. Fade fell to his feet, her head was bright red. The spike was ticking.
"Sova?" Cypher came closer. "Shit, Sova, it is the first time I see you so..."
Sova looked at Cypher's left hand. The whole sleeve was red. His own stomach, that was shot right after Fade herself got a bullet in her head and clenched her hands instinctively, hurt like hell, so when he began to seat himself, Cypher helped him. "Shit, there's too much blood, you..."
"Отставить разговорчики," Sova laughed. "Omen planted the spike. He might be in the lamps, bath, or on the short. We need to check everything. I'll watch your back."
Cypher nodded and took his phantom.
The spike was ticking, and Sova was running out of blood. He aimed perfectly, he didn't let himself rest until he and Cypher were safe and spike was difused. Finally, Cypher caught Omen in the bath: Sova shot him in the legs, but he teleported and got right onto Cypher's knife. While Cypher was difusing, Sova was reporting for the jet and help.
When Cypher found him barely consious and helped him to get up, Sova was singing something that could be barely heard.
The injuiries were healed almost instantly when they arrived at the base, so he was let off by the midnight. He wasn't sleepy yet, although he was truly tired, so Sova wanted to go jogging. It was somewhat romantic to run or walk when the day ended and the wet asphalt after the morning rains reminded him of home.
Silent coldness of the night. Chill on the skin. Cloudy sky and barely visible moon. And only a few benches along the way. The fields and forests nearby, which nature was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Sova forgot when was the last time he touched a birch.
When he wore earbuds and turned on his beloved MP3-player, somebody put a hand on his shoulder. It was Cypher.
"Hello, my dear friend," he said. "Enjoying the nature at this hour?"
"Cypher," Sova greeted him. "How's your arm?"
"Awesome. Killjoy and Clove laughed at their death in each others' arms. Sometimes I wish I had the same sense of humour."
"I'd say you already do."
"Huh, I hope so. Oh, and, I'm afraid, I must confess."
"Yes?"
"It was me in the morning."
"Ah, I almost forgot. Did you need anything?"
"Actually, I already got what I wanted."
"What was it then?"
"The music from your player."
"I don't remember letting you touch my stuff."
"Well, what if I say that I asked and you mumbled 'yes' in your sleep?"
Sova looked at him with squinted eyes.
"Пиздишь, как дышишь."
"Ah, pizdish. The greatest idiom. You mean that I lie as naturally as I breathe?"
"Yes."
"You know me too well. But let me explain…"
Suddenly, Cypher wasn't allowed to finish his sentence: Sova put out one of his earbuds, wiped it on his shirt and extended his hand. Cypher shut up and took the earbud in silence. Sova remembered about the mask that covered even the man's ears, so he said:
"Let's walk further so you can wear it. It's dark between the lanterns."
So they did. Sova walked further and didn't turn his music yet, waiting for Cypher to say something. When Cypher, who walked behind him, wore the earbud, he kept up with him and 'smiled' with his eyes only. The first song was, unexpectedly, следи за собой by кино.
Sova remembered how he sang it in the military with is friends. It was a beautifully sorrowful song.
"Wow, Sova, it sounds depressing," Cypher said. "What is it about?"
"Watch for yourself, be careful, because every day may bring a catastrophe or death to you."
"Eh."
"It's the song, not me," Sova laughed.
Сегодня кому-то говорят: "До свидания!"
Завтра скажут: "Прощай навсегда!"
Заалеет сердечная рана.
Завтра кто-то, вернувшись домой,
Застанет в руинах свои города.
Кто-то сорвётся с высокого крана.
Today someone's saying: "Until we meet again!"
Tomorrow they'll say: "Forever goodbye!"
The wound on the heart gets even deeper.
Tomorrow someone will return home,
Watch his home ruined, and quietly sigh,
Another will fall from a crane a bit higher.
Следи за собой, будь осторожен!
Следи за собой.
Watch for youself, please, be more careful!
Watch for yourself.
Sova mumbled the chorus. They walked the quiet road.
"I wonder if every song of yours is as depressing as this one."
"Well, not every one. But most of them, surely," Sova smiled.
"Why are you laughing about it? You are always so... happy, when you talk about your home. But these songs don't let me get the vibe you tried to demonstrate."
"Let's just say," Sova sighed, "when you live in a country, where most of the time the weather is cold or wet, where the nature is wild and dangerous, where the war is just a period of time you have to survive, and where the house you live in is always grey, just like the weather itself in the cities, the life becomes grey, too. I enjoyed living beside the nature, but when I lived in the city... It was way more depressing than these songs. So, I find peace in them," Sova said.
They found a bench. The lantern near it wasn't working normally, so the light was weak: both man could barely see it, and the candle would be more useful than the lantern.
"Because they remind me of my life back home, with all its little and big problems. It's my youth. My homeland. My past. No matter how grey it was, it made me who I am now. So I cherish it."
The song changed to пластинки by дурной вкус.
"Isn't it the same for you?"
Cypher was silent for some time.
"I guess so, my friend."
They sat in silence for some time. The wind was colder than Sova expected, going outside with only a shirt on, but he didn't really care since it was still way better than the heat of Bind from a few hours ago. Sova exhaled, looking at the small clouds going out of his mouth.
"Why did you need my music, by the way?" Sova asked.
"I was bored. And didn't have enough sleep."
"You could've asked me. I don't have any reason to say 'no' to such simple request."
Cypher looked at him with a face that Sova considered 'shocked'.
"Why are you looking at me like this?"
"Hm," Cypher mumbled. "Every time we speak, you find my way of talking strange. So I thought that my request for your music might be misunderstood."
"Well, do you have any motive for this?"
"Indeed I do. I want to listen to something I've never listened before."
"It is not a motive I talk about, Cypher, and you know this," Sova chuckled. "Here, let's listen to something else. Choose anything that catches your eye."
Cypher took his MP3-player cautiously, as if he was scared to break it. He touched the buttons with great care, searching for the song he'd like to listen. Sova watched the trees and how the leaves move under the wind's touch. Finally, Cypher turned on molchat doma - волны. It was a weird choice to Sova's opinion, although he loved this song.
"I remember," Cypher said quietly, "you played it on the guitar."
"Oh, so you were eavesdropping, too?" Sova laughed. "Да, Сайфер, порой ты слишком сильно напоминаешь мне сталкера."
"I am a stalker now?" Cypher chuckled. "Well, I can't blame you: I really am one when I don't want to ask questions."
"But you can ask, Cypher. The Protocol now… It's not only a work anymore, right?" Sova leaned against the back of the bench, letting himself rest. They were in a kilometer at most from the base, but nobody would be near them at this hour. Only the birds and maybe some rabbits. "Sometimes I think what I would do if this war ended."
"Huh, I'd love all this to be over," Cypher said. "Although I don't think that I have much to do. I bet you already know what happened to my home."
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"What would you do if you had a chance to start over?"
"I think I'd just throw a dice and went somewhere nobody knows me. Plus I am a good engineer. I'd find what to do."
"I don't doubt that."
They were sitting in silence for some time, listening to music. Cypher turned the volume down until the song could be barely heard.
"And what about you?"
"I am a soldier, Amir," Sova said. "But due to the political situation… I belive I can't return home. So travelling like you doesn't sound really bad."
"Become a musician, maybe?"
"Oh, god, don't joke of that, I like music and singing too much for you to say so."
"I am not joking. I heard you play and sing."
"So you were eavesdropping."
"You're hurting me if you truly think that I weren't," Cypher said. "And I'd say that if in the future, when all this will be over and both of us will go travelling around the world and I'll see you sing on the streets of Amsterdam or somewhere else, I'll give you a few coins for sure."
"Ah, thank you, thank you," Sova answered. "It's unfortunate I won't be able to recognise you."
"I'll give you one hundred and eleven rubles! So you'll know for sure it's me."
"That's it? My singing is worth only one hundred? I'm hurt."
"Oh, Sasha, don't be so dramatic! How much will satisfy you, then? Ten thousand?"
"Too much for me, I'd say, but good enough, yes!"
They looked each other in the eyes. Cypher's 'eyes', just like Sova's prosthetic one, glowed blue. They laughed.
When they returned to the base, Sova yawned and gave Cypher his phone.
"Hm? Do you need help with repairing it, sweetheart?" Cypher asked.
"No. I think you already have our chats and all, so just download my other playlists. And give me some of your music. It will be fair."
Cypher smiled and took his phone carefully.
"I'll return it in the morning."
"See you in the morning, then."
Sova waved his hand and went to his room.
Cypher touched the phone with both hands and held it to his face, touching it through the mask. Sova wasn't able to hear it, but he didn't need to anyway:
"See you in the morning."
And although Sova was red in the face and had a temperature because of their walk in the cold and wet night, they met in the kitchen, Cypher returned Sova's phone to him, and then they drank his precious green tea in his lab, listening to their music mixed together.
And it was a good and quiet morning.