Chapter Text
Mityas routine in the Department of Energy has been roughly the same for the last couple of years. Go to work finish his assignments for the day and then get the rest of the day off, to do whatever he wanted. Sometimes he would switch it up. On those days he would go in the city during working hours and finish his work during the evening. His boss didn't mind. As long as his duties were fulfilled he was allowed to follow whatever schedule he wanted. That however changed once their Team discovered that the Power inside a Stellar Lynchpin could be reverse engineered with Kresnik Crystal. Suddenly he was promoted to a lead researcher for Project Misteltin And a key military member at that. Due to that fact he ended up getting a bodyguard who introduced himself as Valeriy the head of the Special Assignments Battalion, Armory Palace Royal Grenadier Guards First Regiment. While it was weird hearing him introduce himself via his full military title, he couldn't deny that remembering the entire thing was a commendable achievement on its own.
Mitya assumed that other than those new changes everything would remain the same. Turns out that he couldn't have been anymore wrong. Now he couldn't just leave whenever. No, he had learned that the hard way. On one of his usual trips to the Korolevskiy theater he was caught by Valeriy who questioned him on why he was outside during his working hours. Mitya explained to the major that he would be back soon and that he didn't need to worry because he will finish his work in due time. If he wouldn't finish in the daytime then he could just stay up a bit later than usual. But the other wasn't having it. Valeriy lectured him on the way back, about the importance of Work-life-balance and other stuff Mitya didn't remember because he ended up zoning out midway.
Because of that the scientist wasn't really fond of Valeriy at first. He understood that the Major was just doing his job, but it was still frustrating to have all of his activities monitored despite being an adult who could function without someone watching him every second of the day.
Ever since the first time he left the two were playing the longest cat and mouse chase in the history of snezhnaya. Whenever Mitya found a new spot to hang out at, Valeriy would inevitably find it within the next few weeks and this pattern would repeat every other day. At some point in time both adapted. Mitya figured out how much time Valeriy needed in average to check on one spot and which spots he frequented most and avoided those places. Valeriy ended up noticing that and became more unpredictable. Mitya had a way harder time trying to not get caught due to that. By the half a year mark Valeriy already knew him so well that he could find the researcher in the span of one hour. Which sure, it was irritating to be caught this fast, but Mitya couldn't deny that hiding from the soldier was a good way to waste time and he'd rather do that then go to work on some days. One of those days in which he was - as Valeriy would put it - "slacking off" sitting in one of the local bakeries where he was caught once again.
"Are you done running for the day Mr Energy scientist?"
Mitya was sitting next to a window, sipping on a black coffee and eating a Vatrushka, well or at least he planed to. Both the Coffee and Pastry where already cold by the time Valeriy snapped him out of his thoughts. Usually the researcher would long be gone already, but he wasn't in the mood of avoiding him today. Infact he was about to return back to the armory palace before Valeriy arrived. He just had a new idea that he needed to write down as soon as possible and he forgot both his pen and notebook in his office.
He grinned up at the other. After some time Mitya got used to seeing Valeriy. While it was still annoying to get dragged back to work he quite liked the Major, as grumpy as he may be.
"Well hello to you too Sarge. I actually am. Want some?" Mitya pointed to his pastry, he wasn't really that hungry anymore and he didn't want to waste any food.
"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. Please do hurry with finishing your food we need to return to the armory palace. It's late enough as is."
"Mhm, wait a moment I'm going to go get a bag." The nice woman at the counter wrapped up his Pastry in the bag. Mitya offered her a tip, which she gladly accepted and after which he and Valeriy began their journey back to the armory.
Mitya was talking the entire way, Valeriy mostly just listened but chimed in with an occasional hum or a response. These little conversations during their walks back to the armory palace were Mityas favorite interactions with Valeriy. He just wished that the other wasn't this hyper focused on work all the time. He was good company outside of it.
Back in the office he grabs his pen and notebook and started jotting down his thoughts. He didn't have enough time to plan the entire experiment yet, but having an initial idea was always a good place to start. Valeriy ended up coming inside the room at some point, to remind him about eating lunch. Mitya promised him that he'll eat it once he's done which was enough to satisfy the other.
It's been a while since he started working. He can't remember how much time passed exactly, its most likely been hours though since the sun was starting to set, he could feel his eyelids becoming heavier each moment. Maybe he should ask Valeriy to bring him a Coffee once he returns?
Mitya couldn't believe that he fell asleep on his desk last night. A few moments ago he caught himself lying face down on his desk, confused about why he was here and not in his bed. Then he remembered that he was still working yesterday and concluded that he dozed off. To make it even worse he seemed to have forgotten most of his plans, the ones that weren't written down at least. Not that the ones he did manage to write down were any better either. Most of the ink smudged while it was drying which made the words illegible.
Now that he was awake he tried to decipher what was written on the paper. Everything looked like a mess and just left him more confused. There were a few notes that didn't get smudged but they sounded like gibberish without the rest. He always had messy writing, tending to avoid writing full sentences and that came back to bite him. Hopefully he'll end up remembering it later because if he didn't then this would be bothering him for the next few weeks.
He stretched out his arms and groaned.
Waking up in a sitting position certainly wasn't a nice experience. Most of his body wasn't cooperating at the moment and he knew that he would feel the neck pain for the rest of the week.
He stared at his notes, trying to read anything would be practically impossible, a whole night of work completely wasted.
How did he even get this tired without noticing? This wasn't his first time of pulling an all-nighter but he never fall asleep on his desk before. Maybe dozed off for a few minutes a couple of times but never for the whole night that's for sure.
Weirder yet, it doesn't seem like anyone came to get him. Usually someone would check the rooms to make sure they were closed. So either they didn't want to wake him or they just didn't care. That and there was also Valeriy. With how serious he was about having a proper sleeping schedule you'd think that he would've gotten here and dragged him back to bed if necessary.
Eh, he didn't really care. If Valeriy decided to go home early that was fine with him. That would probably be better for him anyway, he took his job way too seriously sometimes.
Mitya stood up from his desk. As expected his legs fell asleep and he nearly stumbled, but ended up catching himself again.
Now what. He pondered. Should he go home? Considering Valeriy would go over to check on him at this time of day, it would be best to get home before the major got the impression he got kidnapped or something.
Then again knowing Valeriy he would rightfully guess that Mitya stayed here the entire night and didn't go home. Valeriy would find him sooner or later and listening to another lecture about taking his health more seriously wasn't something the scientist had on his to do list today.
Hearing a grumbling noice reminded him about the bowl of Borscht that he still didn't eat. Maybe he should finish it now. The soup was already cold once he got to the bowl. He practically inhaled the entire content of the dish in the span of a few minutes. It wasn't as good as it would have been warm, but that didn't matter when he felt this ravenous.
He glanced at the clock in the corner of the office. It was about 9:00 am and the cafeteria was officially supposed to still be closed, but from personal experience he knew that some of the staff was already there. Bringing back the dishes would probably be good since he didn't want the kitchen staff to run around the building trying to find the missing parts.
The halls were still empty. It was odd, since the armory palace was usually busy, even in the morning. Then again he usually wasn't here this early. At this time he'd either still be at home or in the lab getting scolded by Valeriy.
The atmosphere of the cafeteria was just as eeriely quiet as the rest of the armory palace. Did they suddenly decide to open later today? Just a few weeks ago he was here at the same time and the place was still bustling with life. Now only a couple of days later it felt like a ghost town.
After a moment of thinking he decided to enter the kitchen area. No one was usually allowed inside due to hygiene concerns. But this wasn't a normal situation. He wanted to clarify that nothing bad happened. If nothing else getting a confirmation would at least stop him from worrying.
Nobody was inside of the kitchen aswell. This wasn't just weird anymore, something seriously bad happened. The armory palace didn't switch schedules out of the blue. If this change was planned then everyone would be notified weeks if not even months in advance.
Mitya rushed back into the hallway. Not a single soul was here, he was the only one. He tried to remain composed, rational thinking told him that panicking would lead nowhere, but that didn't stop his mind from spiraling.
The rooms were also empty. Was the entire armory affected? Did everyone have to evacuate? No. Surely he would know if that was the case. Even if he caused a lot of trouble he was still a valuable asset in the eyes of the Fatui. Getting him out would be on top of their priorities.
The front entrance wasn't better either. The guards that would usually stay alert at all times were gone, as if they never existed. He halted at the door.
A snowstorm was ravaging outside. He spent his entire life in Snezhnaya, snowstorms were nothing new, but this one was way heavier than any ordinary blizzard. There was just snow. No buildings, no people. Nothing. Was this the reason for the evacuation? How long would he have to stay here.
He sat down on the floor in defeat. His scarf wrapped around himself, trying to provide comfort.
Maybe this was a dream. A nightmare.
But it all felt so real.
He pinched his arm, there was stinging pain. If he was in a dream then he would be awake by now. He hated being alone. More than anything, now he would have to stay here for Tsaritsa knows how long. What if everyone else was dead? What if the Monster that was spotted recently wasn't as peaceful as everyone assumed. From what the researchers gathered it could influence the weather. It remained completely dormant for hundreds of years. What if it woke up and decided to go haywire? Killed the Tsaritsa and then everybody else.
Maybe he should go outside. If he was right and everybody was dead, then it wouldn't matter if he died anyway. And on a positive note, if he was wrong then the Fatui were probably looking for him now. Maybe the situation wasn't quite as bad as his mind kept telling him.
Mitya stood up and took a shuddering breath. Walking to the door he reached out for the handle. The door was made out of steel and was quite heavy, but opened with ease after a bit of pushing.
The outside world was unsurprising just as empty. He started shivering, his coat wasn't made for freezing temperatures. Usually he'd stay inside during such extreme weather. White was the only thing in sight, he couldn't even see his hands in this storm.
Mitya turned around, the armory wasn't even visible anymore. He halted, the chances of finding his way back if he started trudging ahead were very slim. For the first time in a while he hesitated, was he willing to take a chance?
Mitya sighed, Valeriy would say this is insane but he didn't have much to lose anyways.
Time passed by incredibly slowly and he couldn't even tell how long he was outside. It could have been days or minutes. He was leaning towards his perception being distorted and minutes passing. Otherwise he'd probably already be dead from Hypothermia, not that this would be a bad way to go necessarily, he'd prefer that over wandering in this empty place for Tsaritsa knows how long.
Suddenly he can hear a faint voice. It was like a whisper when compared to the roaring wind. But it was there. Someone was out there! With newfound hope he followed the direction of the new sound.
He wasn't getting closer. He's been walking for an eternity but the voice was just as faint as it had been from the beginning.
Then it stopped entirely. He almost cried here and there. When was this nightmare going to end?! Mitya sunk into the snow. Hours of walking in the freezing cold and it just disappeared out of nowhere. He lay face down, he was too exhausted to continue. No one was here. There was no reason to keep going. He will probably die, but that didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. The black mist was approaching and he was too tired to run. Fighting it would only prolong his suffering.
He will be free. The thought brought a smile to his face.
"Mitya!" Someone was yelling. The sound was muffled like underwater. Then he could feel someone shaking him.
He stood upright and blinked, his vision was flooded by a bright light. Too bright. He closed his eyes again.
"Oh thank the Tsaritsa. You scared me to death." The stranger was talking again but the words didn't register in Mityas head.
Luckily his eyes finally got used to the light, he looked around. This was the armory palace. He must be at work then.
"Ugh. What happened." He felt confused. The stranger next to him turned out to be his Co-worker, Ivanovich. They usually got along quite well. Ivan wasn't the type to get worried easily so his panic earlier was reason for alarm.
His throat felt dry, speaking was always something he was good at but now it seems like this skill was failing him.
"Take it easy Mitya. I'm going to explain everything I know once you settled down. Don't want to stress you right now."
Ivan looked at him with a relived and stern expression. The older man was always stubborn, trying to change his mind would be a fruitless endeavor. So he nodded as an answer. Still bewildered about this situation but more calm than earlier.
They talked for a bit. It was nice but Mityas head was elsewhere for most of the conversation. What in the world happened now to scare the other this much?
"Mitya."
"Huh. I'm sorry what did you say?" He was a bit ashamed at being caught while zoning out again. It happened often and he tried to avoid it but no matter how hard he tried it always backfired instead. He focused so much on not zoning out that everything he could think about was to not get distracted and stay present in the moment. Luckily everyone who worked closely with him already knew about this trait of his and got used to it.
Ivan sighed. "You're still thinking about what happened earlier? Am I right?"
Was he this easy to read. How come everyone had a way easier time reading him then he did them? Was there some sort of secret to this he wasn't aware about? He made a mental note to research about nonverbal communication sometime later. Maybe it was the facial expressions-
"Mitya! Are you alright. You're not feeling ill are you!?"
Mitya finally snapped back to the man in front of him, he winced.
"sorry. I got distracted. To answer your question, yes I was thinking about what happened earlier. Could I maybe know now?" He made sure to look the other in the eyes while saying that, just to have something to keep his focus on for the moment.
"Alright. Are you really sure you wanna know now?" Ivan's expression was serious. He was usually chipper and rarely had anything other than a smile on his face so the news he was about to hear had to be something serious. He nodded, already feeling a lump in his throat but chose to ignore it.
"I'm going to be straight with you. There isn't really a way to break this in a nice way. You were dead a few moments ago."
Mitya let out an awkward laugh. This had to be a prank on him, but the expression of Ivan told otherwise. How could that be? How could he be dead one moment and then totally fine just a few minutes later? Surely he would notice feeling ill. Right?
Thousand questions bubbled up in his mind. He didn't have any pre-existing medical conditions as far as he aware. Did he eat yesterday? Maybe a toxin in his food. There were plenty of ways to Poison food. No wait he was in his office, usually Valeriy would bring his food then. Nothing missed the man's sight he would notice if someone attempted to temper with his food. Maybe an invisible Poison? Or an assassination attempt?
Mitya shook his head. None of these reasons made any sense. There wasn't such a thing like undetectable toxins other than a handful produced mainly during improper preparation but those should have gradual effects. They wouldn't suddenly trigger clinical death. And how would an assassin get into a highly guarded building without anyone noticing. Let alone attempt a method that didn't guarantee killing him?
"Are you sure? How could I be clinically dead for a moment and then back shortly after? Especially without any signs of declining health."
"I'm not sure either. All I know is that Valeriy came rushing into my lab and told me that he was getting a medic and ordered me to watch you while the doctor arrived. Once I was with you I felt your pulse and tried to wake you up. the rest is history. "
Mitya frowned. Valeriy is definitely not going to let go of this in the future.
"Wait, why didn't he get any of the Guards. I mean don't get me wrong but shouldn't they be the ones to handle emergencies usually?"
"The guards are all busy trying to find the culprit who is responsible for all of this. He also said that he trusted me more since I knew you better."
Looks like the Fatui also came to the conclusion of there being an assassin in the building. Not surprising considering he was completely fine just hours ago.
True to Ivans word a medic followed by Valeriy soon entered the room, but he was unable to find anything amiss with Mitya.
The medic, an older man with silver gray hair and pale skin shrugged.
"He's as healthy as can be. All of his vitals are normal. Are you sure that what you're proclaiming was true? Maybe you just saw something due to stress?"
Valeriy looked annoyed at that."Nonsense. I know what I saw and it wasn't die to stress. Plus Mr Ivanovich was here aswell. Two people can't see something that simply isn't true."
"I can confirm. None of his vitals were available just a minute ago, I don't know what happened but it couldn't be collective Schizophrenia."
"Check him again, you must've missed something."
A few check ups later (mainly organized on behalf of Valeriy) nothing out of the ordinary showed up and the medic soon left the room to return to the armory's medical bay.
Now Mitya was already back home thinking about the incident from work. Pierro gave him the last part of the day off to recover from his "temporary" death. Usually he'd be thrilled to get time off. That meant having free time to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, now he couldn't feel anything. He was currently lying in his bed but despite being incredibly tired he couldn't fall asleep.
The Doctor assured him that his health was perfectly normal for his age. There was no official diagnosis since he didn't have any symptoms, but surely there was something seriously wrong.
All the medic did was advise him to rest properly and arrange a few check ups in the future.
The more frustrating part though was not knowing what happened. He got a brief rundown from Ivan and later Valeriy of what happened from their perspectives, but hearing about the aftermath was different than actually witnessing the entire thing. For the first time in ages there was a question that he probably would never be able to answer and he hated the feeling of not being able to answer something.
He sighed, the clock showed 3:00 am, seeing that he still didn't fall asleep he doubted that he would get any rest today.
In the end he decided to go into the kitchen and make himself a coffee. If he was to go without any rest today than he would need caffeine to not feel like he just came back from the dead. Or well at least to not look like it, it's a little late to prevent feeling like it.
The rest of the night was spent drinking lukewarm coffee and reading a book he recently started but never got around to finishing.
At around 6:00 he decided to take a shower and made himself breakfast, he was far from a good cook, the toast nearly caught fire inside of the toaster and he nearly spilled the tea while wiping away a bit of jam that fell on the table. But he was still proud of his breakfast, even if it was a bit charred.
He ended up planing his entire day while eating breakfast, which to be fair wasn't any different to his usual routine on working days.
After watching the newest show of Odette and Vodyanitsa, in which for the first time in years they were performing together. It was absolutely amazing, he was so invested in watching that he didn't even have the time to write anything down. The performance ended in the blink of an eye. He went to the market to look at what they were selling. He didn't stay for long, the many people in one spot overwhelmed him and he ended up leaving less than 15 minutes later.
Soon he returned to his house and continued reading books and was even so bored that he actually ended up working on some of the paperwork that he had laying around since a few months ago.
Valeriy ended up paying Mityas a visit and the researcher convinced him to stay for a bit longer for tea. They ended up talking for a bit before the Major left to go back to work.