Episode7: The Notebook

After hours of unconsciousness, Mike slowly came to. The stench of burning and blood assaulted his senses. His body felt scorching hot, and he couldn't even tell if he was injured or not. He dragged himself out from under a piece of hot metal debris and caught sight of Jake.

"Jake, Jake, get up! Are you okay?" 

But Jake didn't move. With great effort, Mike crawled over to him and shook his shoulder. Jake slumped to the ground. Mike realized it was over. 

"Jake, no, please, not you too…" 

Mike collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained. He had no strength left. He leaned his head against the metal wall of the half-burned helicopter. Rain continued to pour, its sound echoing as it struck the metal. The smell of charred plants hung in the air. He pulled a small, now-soaked notebook from his bag, looked at the names written inside, and crossed out Jake's name as well. 

Then he heard footsteps—could it be Carlina? 

Mike struggled to crawl out of the flaming wreckage, blood dripping from his forehead. As he lay on the ground, he saw Reznov approaching with calm, steady steps. 

Mike, with bloodied hands, raised his sidearm. 

"You… damn it… why?" 

Before he could pull the trigger, a bullet struck the ground near him. 

A woman with short hair and black military gear emerged from the shadows. 

"Calm down. It's not time to die yet." 

Mike shouted, "Who the hell are you?!" 

The woman glanced at Reznov. 

"Sharp, that's enough." 

Reznov paused for a moment, lowered his weapon, and let Mike go. 

Mike was still panting. 

"You… you wanted to kill me! You killed Jake!" 

Reznov knelt beside him. 

"Think, Mike. If I wanted you dead, you'd be gone by now." 

Mike yelled, "Then what was that missile?!" 

Elina (the newcomer) cut into the conversation. 

"That missile was your fate, Mike." 

Mike, gasping for air, got up from the ground. 

"Shut up! You and your group are all insane!" 

Reznov placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Calm down for now. We'll explain later." 

Mike glared at both of them. 

"I don't want your explanations! You took everyone from me! I'll kill you!" 

He tried to raise his gun again, but Elina fired a precise shot, hitting Mike and throwing him to the side. Mike pulled out his knife—at that moment, all he could think about was revenge. 

He charged at Reznov. Elina moved to intervene, but Reznov signaled her to stand back with a gesture. As Mike closed in, Reznov took a step forward. 

With his left hand, he deflected Mike's knife. 

"Looks like you don't learn." 

And with his right, he threw a punch at Mike. Mike tried to block it with his hand, but Reznov's strength was overwhelming—Mike's arm was pushed aside, and the blow landed squarely on his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Elina smirked crookedly, as if mocking him. Mike's vision blurred, and the last words he heard from Reznov before passing out were: 

"We need to get back. Natasha and Dmitry are waiting in the car." 

---

Mike struggled to open his eyes. His head throbbed, and the taste of blood lingered in his mouth. 

The sound of a car engine, the gentle jolts of a muddy road, and the smell of fuel and rain filled the air. They were inside a military jeep. His hands were tied, and the gun he always kept at his side was gone. 

He glanced around. Natasha sat next to Dmitry, whose wounds were still bloody. Across from him was Elina, calm and composed, as if this situation was routine for her. And behind the wheel… Reznov. 

Mike clenched his teeth. Hatred surged in his chest like a wave. 

"If you think I'll come around after all this, you're a damn fool." 

Reznov turned the wheel without looking at him and said, "If you think you've got another option, then the fool's you." 

Mike struggled to free himself, but the metal cuffs were too tight to break loose easily. 

Elina stared at him, that mocking smile still on her lips. 

"How you holding up, Mike? You'd better calm down, kid. There are things you don't know." 

Mike sneered. 

"Like what? That you betrayed me? That you killed Jake? That you destroyed my team?" 

Before Elina could respond, the sound of scattered gunfire echoed in the distance. Reznov glanced at the rearview mirror and muttered, "They're here." 

Natasha pressed her hand against Dmitry's wounds and said, "We don't have much time. We need to get to…" 

Before she could finish, the jeep suddenly shuddered. An explosion erupted from the side of the road, sending mud and dirt into the air. 

Reznov jerked the wheel hard, the tires skidding on the wet ground. 

Mike shouted, "Damn it! Who's that?!" 

Elina grabbed her rifle and looked out the window. 

"I don't know…" 

Minutes later, the road lit up under the headlights of their pursuers. Mike could now see them: three military vehicles, heavy weapons, and figures wearing black masks. 

Reznov, with his usual calm, floored the accelerator. 

"Hold him. If they catch us, it's game over." 

Elina readied her weapon. Natasha, her hands still bloodied, pulled a grenade from her belt. 

Mike closed his eyes, and for a moment, a single thought crossed his mind: 

"Damn it… looks like it's not over yet." 

Elina aimed her heavy machine gun at the vehicles and opened fire. Bullets ricocheted off the armored cars. Natasha threw her grenades at them, but the vehicles didn't even swerve. Mud sprayed upward, and return fire began, though it seemed the pursuing vehicles were only trying to hit the jeep's tires. Reznov turned to Elina and said, "There's a rocket launcher under your feet. Grab it." 

Elina pulled the launcher from the floor of the jeep and tossed it to Natasha. Natasha leaned out the window, aimed at the vehicle behind them, took a deep breath, and fired. The rocket whistled through the air and hit the car, engulfing it in flames. With the first vehicle destroyed, the path for the others was blocked. Reznov said, "Good. Seven minutes to the safe zone." 

But suddenly, a bright light flooded the inside of the jeep from the left. As they turned their heads, an armored vehicle slammed into the rear of the jeep with force. The jeep swerved, spinning out of control. Reznov calmly tried to regain control, but it was no use—the jeep crashed into a tree on the side of the road. Before anyone could react, smoke bombs and gunfire rained down on them. 

In the chaos, the jeep's door was yanked open, and someone grabbed Mike, violently pulling him out. They threw him into an armored vehicle, then jumped into the driver's seat and sped off. 

After a few minutes of driving, Mike asked, "What do you want from me?" 

The driver, wearing a gas mask, turned their head toward Mike and removed the mask. Mike's words caught in his throat. 

"C-C-Carlina?"