The Blind Remnant

6. Infinity

She floats in space. There is no horizon, no sense of polar direction. The past, present, and various forms of the future are laid out before her and woven into an intricate pattern. Somewhere distant, there is a sense of the infinite. Suffering whirls into harmony and coalesces into a celestial stream.

In one of the futures, Anya is a disciple. She roams the world in flowing robes and preaches to those who are in need and hurt. Feeble hands reach out to her, desperate to hear her gospel. She tells them they are loved and that the universe is not impartial.

Back to this world. Anya falls on her knees and is struck by an immense headache. By the time Sergei comes to her, both paintings are engulfed in flames.

"What happened, Anya?" asks Sergei. "Are you okay? Talk to me!"

"I can't see," Anya cries and gasps for breath at the same time. "I can't fucking see!"

Sergei holds her and gives her assurance. Her headache is receding but her augmented eyes are failing. Pieces of hurtful memories flash before her as if the War in Ashuria is being relived.

"Let's get you out of here," says Sergei. He speaks to the comms, "Tyoma, Roza, we're coming up now, get ready!"

"Copy that, boss, holding fire until you surface. Be advised, FSB is in the building, Exit Plan One no longer feasible."

He flings Anya over his shoulders and begins climbing the stairs. "I got you," he says, "everything's going to be okay. The AIs told us everything. I'm going to make sure you fulfill the prophecy."

Ground floor. They storm a hall with twenty columns, made of granite and planted in rows. The ceilings are coffered and the walls are painted with ornamental patterns. The moonlight, serene and pale, gleams on the floor like ivory keys of a piano.

They crouch down and set an explosive charge on the floor. According to the map, there is an old and forgotten storm sewer below, which is their Exit Plan Two.

A blast from outside shatters the windows, and FSB officers rappel through. They swiftly amass in large numbers and form a line behind ballistic shields. Outside, Mi-8 helicopters angrily thrum in the sky.

The Revenants take cover. They trade laser sights across the columns, like weaving the air with threads.

"This is the FSB!" a megaphone shouts. "We have you surrounded. Lay down your weapons and turn over your partner Anya! This is your final warning!"

"Looks like they have us ten to one," says Tyoma.

"Reminds me of Ashuria," says Roza. "What's your call, boss? Go out with all guns blazing?"

"I think so," says Sergei. He looks at his teammates firmly and passes an unspoken understanding. For Anya to fulfill her prophecy, the rest of them must hold back the army. "This is the fight we've always wanted, so listen up. On my mark, activate your camouflage and detonate the charge."

All their past choices, painful consequences; in the fullness of time, all roads lead to this instance. Sergei smirks as he discovers - that life, however brief and worthless, is not for him to keep. He holds onto Anya and shields her from harm. He counts from three to two, and two to one. After one, Sergei Gurenovich, former Russian special forces and founder of the Revenants, starts his final glorious dance.