Topic: The Red Dawn

Spectre

Date: 2017-09-11 21:40 EST
September 7th, 2017

Metronome flashes danced against the blue lenses that shielded his eyes.

Incoming call from Yaroslav.

An inferno filled his lungs with a deep drag on the posh cigarette and as he exhaled he tapped the green button and leaned over the railing overlooking the somber tide. Quarter past 3 the LEDs glared in the twilight of night. Overhead the dim halogen flickered and hummed- he had replaced the lights of old that were amber in hue and most likely gaslit. Security was more important now on the urbanized pier he was constructing.

"Как оно?" He asked between the compounded killing treat.

Pacing up and down the renovated concrete he crushed the fallen soldiers while the voice on the other line, Yaroslav, brought him up to date with the progression. Syringes, vials and of course the various bottles cracked under his steps before he came to the end and snapped his fingers at the three enjoying some leisure time. One communal groan was the response before the began sweeping up the poor decor that lined the sleek dock.

"Я готов здесь. Как долго это будет?" His impatience was getting the better of him.

The pieces were beginning to fit together. There was plenty of land available for lease so it was easy finding a warehouse. Shipping lanes while congested were consolidated and the late nights served as the perfect guise for the operation, what with the rolling fog that seemed to come in on its own clockwork. He didn't ask, he was just pleased to have some additional cover.

"А картины" Это необычно." His tone shifted with the weight of his shoulders as he plucked the next in the procession of cylinders but he paused at what he heard after the half-minute silence.

The LEDs on the phone were now dancing on their way to 5 and over the horizon he could begin to see lighter shades of blue creeping along. Before he could even light the next one he froze.

"Yuri....don't you think it's time you visited—" Before Yaroslav could continue he was quick to cut him off with the stern interjection.

"Don't call me that."

A sigh could be heard on the other side of the line with a drag.

"How long are you going to do this to yourself?"

They sat in silence for the next five minutes. The laps of the waves against the pier spoke all that he wished.

"Отправить при готовности." The switch back to business was machine-like and he slipped the unlit soldier back into the pack. The same he always had, Sobranie.

"Понимал." Yaroslav replied.

The light blues bled into a romantic scene, pinks and oranges and red starting to blossom into a tapestry of cotton candy. Yaroslav bid farewell but was only answered by the tides. He knew what it meant, he nodded to himself as the call ended. Standing there on the pier he had set the stage for how he'd move his life forward. Lucrative, bold and daring; he was stepping out from the shadows of Moscow finally. Even on the cusp of something much bigger, decades later, he still reacted the same way. It was a spell that Yaroslav uttered, one that never failed and always brought the best results. Blue tears behind blue lenses gathered. He didn't wipe them away.

Spectre

Date: 2017-09-24 23:56 EST
September 24th, 2017

Dust scattered with every swipe of his sweaty arm beneath the humming lamp overhead. All of the workers had left hours ago but he remained within his office. Many years had passed since he'd last dedicated himself to the cause but with how things were lately he could not keep himself at bay. The smoke rose from his final soldering and as he leaned back in his seat his desk vibrated and LEDs filled up the room.

Incoming call from Yaroslav.

A few more vibrations rang out and he gave one last exhale on his favored cancer inducer before picking up. "Speak."

"Relax, this isn't a business call, just a friendly hello." Yaroslav's innocuous banter never did set him at ease. Still, it was a warming thing to hear the Russian's voice over the line.

"I've heard rumblings recently that the specter is back at his old games. Do you know who you're stealing money from this time?" His concern was surgically inserted between his humored prose.

"I do. It begins again." His answer reaffirmed the suspicion that had led Yaroslav to call in the first place. Only a sigh could be heard across the line.

"People may die." Yaroslav stated between drinks. He was seated at his own desk back home, holding his temples with his thumb and index fingers.

"If they must." The chilling response was only met with the sound of the bottle lifting from the table and hitting it again.

"I'll be in touch." That was all Yaroslav had left before he hung up and the LEDs went out.

Beneath the beige-yellow light he stared a long time at that crude device he created once more. The smell of burning always followed and he began to question truly why it had to be. Was it like the old days, for principle and purpose" Or was it simply he missed the adrenaline of the act' He rose and picked it up and turned out the light in the office.

The taxi ride into New Haven was long; the distance wasn't so bad but the sights along the way only served to concrete his resolve. Whatever the driver had been going on about was deftly tuned out and only received a "Het." in response. He almost couldn't believe it when he stepped out and the tail lights peeled off in the distance. People were living in their own filth and the audacity remained. Vera's Boutique- through the window he could see his gritting reflection. Bourgeoisie. He pulled out his pack of Sobranie and flicked his lighter. A deep, long, contemplating drag filled his lungs with that sweet seductive burning before he held the dancing flame to the wick extending out of the crude box. It caught easily and was thrown through the window soon after.

One. Two. Three. Four.

The greyscale night was filled with an orange explosion. Glass was sent in every direction, car alarms filled the night's cool air and in that moment a wisping and whirling silhouette could be seen. A phantom, a ghost of the past- soon departing in the cover of the smoke.