Match of the Millennium

Description: The final confrontation between The Black Dragon and NOL unfolds as Kira prepares to bring the final chapter of the casino to a close.

[KIRA VOLKOV]
"Are you sure you want to do this, commander?"

Kira glanced up, her hands pausing briefly as she went through the process of donning a suit of tactical armor. The bulky plates were much heavier than her usual light ballistic vest. She preferred the mobility over raw protective power. Often the best defense was to simply not be where your opponent was going to attack. However, the plan called for a pitched firefight and she would not have the luxury of outmaneuvering her foe. Her predatory gaze locked onto the speaker, giving the man a sidelong stare for a few heartbeats before returning to her task.

"Not a lot of choice, Carlos," she said, as if she were speaking to a particularly slow child. Tactical genius she might be but this part of the operation should have been fairly obvious.

"If I don't at least show my face then they've got no reason to assume I was actually here. Which means they keep looking for me. That would be very annoying considering most of my military assets have either been expended or are about to be turned into a giant pile of rubble."

Carlos's ruggedly handsome face twisted into a grimace and he cast his gaze towards the ceiling of the command center. Some two hundred feet above them the Black Dragon Casino shuddered under the impact of a fresh hail of magical artillery blasts, its once pristine exterior shattered and cracked in dozens of places.

"Seems like a waste to just blow it all up."

The mercenary queen let out an unlady-like snort of derision. She gave a rough tug on a pair of straps, tightening one of the shaped greaves to her leg before casting a look in his direction again.

"Never would have even built this pile of shit if I had another choice. The Japanese aren't exactly a welcoming bunch when it comes to foreigners. Trying to establish a legitimate business in the city would have taken years of negotiations and probably enough bribes to build two of these eyesores. But a big gaudy casino that rakes in tourists? Hard to say no to that kind of profit."

Carlos rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few moments then shook his head.

"Yeah, I get that, but that wasn't what I meant."

Kira grunted as she tugged another heavy plate into place.

"Then what did you mean?"

A roguish smile split the man's face as he spread his arms wide in a grand gesture.

"What about all that gold? The very thought of that much treasure getting blasted to pieces is enough to make a man weep!"

She grinned and let out a bark of laughter.

"Good to know your priorities are always sorted, Carlos."

He laughed back and rested his fists on his hips, directing his infamous matador-like charm in her direction.

5t"Hey, a man's got to impress the ladies. And what quicker way to a woman's heart than shiny objects, eh?"

He stepped forward to offer her a hand, expecting her to struggle with the weight of the heavy armor as she moved to stand up. She playfully batted his 'chivalrous' offer aside as she pushed herself off the floor with no more difficulty than if the tactical suit had been made of Styrofoam.

"I'm sure all of the women you court will be pleased to know that you think of them the same way you do your house cat," she retorted, enjoying the look of surprise on his face.

The newfound strength that her transformation had given her still managed to catch people off guard. Even she often found herself startled at how easily she managed to perform tasks that had once given her difficulty. At times it felt like she had discarded her old body entirely and was a stranger in this new skin, yet to discover all of the potential it held.

True to form, Carlos recovered quickly and offered a witty comeback of his own as he ran the rebuffed hand through his black windswept hair like it was what he had intended to do in the first place.

"I should be so lucky! At least when I bribe Mittens with a fancy dinner it doesn't cost me one of my kidneys to pay for it."

Kira rolled her eyes and gave him a light punch on the shoulder which he took with a cheerful wince.

"Oh stop whining, you weren't using both of them."

A soft cough from behind them drew their attention and both turned to give the culprit a questioning look. Like Kira, Zhenya was decked from neck to toe in heavy black armor that muted her feminine silhouette into that of a football linebacker. She held a large helmet clutched underneath one arm, the other gripping a sleek assault rifle.

"Looks like it's time to go."

Kira rolled her shoulders settling the hefty plates into a more comfortable position as she strode forward to accept the gun from her second. A hand on her shoulder stopped her before she made it halfway across the room. She glanced back to find Carlos standing behind her, an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face.

"Don't get dead, boss."

She stared at him in silence, not quite sure how to respond to this unusual display of worry from one of her seasoned captains. After a couple moments of simmering in the tense atmosphere he spoke up again, his deadly serious expression melting into a good humored smirk.

"Or at least make sure to put me down in your will. We both know Zhenya will steal all of the good stuff otherwise."

Kira's baffled expression quickly morphed into a devilish grin. With a chuckle she elbowed him in the ribs earning a whuff of exhaled air as he staggered backwards a few steps. Zhenya did not deign to offer the man a response, already striding her way out of the command room with a half dozen soldiers in tow. The commander hurried to follow after them but called out a final warning as she headed out.

"Carlos, if I die, the only thing you're going to get is haunted."

******

Captain Vance paused as his squad moved up through the milling ranks of haggard soldiers, turning his gaze up towards the towering edifice of black stone looming before them. The Dragon's Den Casino gleamed like a miniature mountain of obsidian as the fading rays of sunlight trickling through the winter clouds reflected off its faceted exterior. The battle had taken its toll on the massive structure. What had once been a tower of geometric precision was now riddled with jagged fissures and massive cracks across its smooth surface. Large chunks of the walls had been blasted apart from repeated spell bombardments. The majority of its glittering golden welcome sign had been reduced to scrap. It held an altogether far more ominous appearance in the aftermath of the assault, like some sort of wicked castle thrust up from the earth atop which perched the iconic black dragon mascot its long reptilian snout still curled into an arrogant sneer.

The NOL soldiers ahead of his squad parted to allow the elite guard passage to the front lines. The sounds of constant gunfire had died out several minutes ago as the last of the casino's exterior bunkers was crushed underneath a concentrated barrage. Even the automated turrets that had been concealed on the upper stories were silent. The shift from savage desperate warfare to calm quiet was almost more unnerving than the fight itself had been. No doubt the knowledge that the next step in the plan would by far be the most dangerous had something to do with that.

"Report."

Vance motioned to one of the nearby lesser officers as he strode out into the open to take in a first-hand sweep of the perimeter. A dozen or so mounds of shattered concrete marked out the former locations of prepared defensive positions, pillboxes that allowed the mercenaries to engage their forces from a sheltered position. Had the odds been more favorable to the Dragoons then it likely that their preparation and training would have allowed them to hold out far longer. But the combination of being outnumbered ten-to-one and lacking the magical powers possessed by the Library made the outcome of this fight all but inevitable.

"Sir. The two flanks of our formation have wrapped around the facility and cleared out the remaining defensive emplacements. Squad Delta reports that they've reached the cargo loading docks at the rear of the casino but are having unexpected difficulties penetrating the shutters. They appear to be heavily reinforced. The estimated time to cut through is roughly ten minutes."

The captain nodded at that, frowning. Too long. His commanding officer, one of the famed Duodecim scions, had impressed upon him before her departure to deal with urgent business that the commander of these mercenaries was not to be taken lightly. Ten minutes might seem like a short time but it was more than enough to move prepared countermeasures into place. Every second that he allowed the Dragon to do as she pleased raised the risk to the soldiers who would have to breach the facility. Unfortunately, that left only one option and it was equally risky.

"Tell them to proceed with that course of action. Everyone else is to remain on standby."

The junior officer snapped him a salute which Vance didn't bother to return, his dour gaze already shifting back to the casino's front entrance. Another worry nagged at the corners of his mind, a concern which had been echoed by Lady Shimotsuki as well. The NOL's attack on the power plant had left them with very little to show for their efforts. Only a handful of enemy soldiers were confirmed to be KIA despite the massive explosion which had all but leveled the facility. Sifting through the rubble had turned up practically nothing, almost as if the enemy had never been there to begin with - or had escaped well before the detonation.

The Dragon had proven that she possessed an excellent grasp of military tactics. She would have known that her small force could never hold out against the sheer weight of numbers and superior capabilities of the Library. Most of the top brass had simply written her off as a madwoman, more than happy to use the bizarre broadcast she'd flooded the airwaves with as proof of her insanity. But there existed the distinct possibility that the woman was plotting something similar to what she had pulled before. He could not allow this dangerous mercenary to slip out at the last moment.

"Sergeant, check your gear," he said, striding forward to take the lead. "We're going in."

******

Vance took a deep breath as the point men of the squad stepped across the threshold and into the casino's entrance hall. He expected to hear the roar of gunfire as hidden defensive emplacements opened up on the foolish intruders who dared to violate the Dragon's domain. The mages were prepared for such an event, shimmering magical barriers already raised before them as they cautiously advanced into the room but those shields would do little to save them if walls were rigged with explosives. After several seconds passed and nothing had happened he puffed out a sharp exhale and followed the others in, taking up a position in the middle of the squad.

The interior of the casino had weathered the storm in far better shape than the outside. Other than a few pictures that had been knocked off the walls very little seemed to be out of place. The design of the casino was a garish display of Western architecture covered in shimmering gold. Almost every surface seemed to shine with a polished gleam. It was both an affront to good taste as well as highly distracting. Shadows of movement seemed to dance in the corner of his eyes no matter which way he moved his head, reflections glinting off the mirror-like gold of every surface like ghosts.

Moving out of the foyer and into the main hall made only made matters worse. While he was no longer cramped within the narrow confines of an enclosed space the sheer quantity of distractions went up by an order of magnitude. Dozens of slot machines chirped and blinked in a cacophony of discordant noise as if vying with each other for the attention of anyone passing by. Sizzling neon signs blinked with repetitive insistence promoting various forms of entertainment scattered across the massive space. At the center of the casino glittering bar encircled a towering obsidian mountain that spewed bright red and orange liquids into the air as if in a perpetual state of eruption.

Vance struggled to remain calm as he realized the danger this place represented. While most of the casino's visitors would care little for the layout of the room beyond its convenience to their gambling needs it was immediately obvious to the military-minded soldier that this place was a death trap. The rows of slot machines were arranged in ascending tiers that radiated out away from the bar in concentric half-circles towards the rear of the room. This not only gave gamblers a clear view of the majority of the space but would act as the perfect arrangement of defensive trenches for any defending force to occupy against an invader. The balconies of the second story were likewise arranged to provide excellent visibility on the floor below offering snipers concealed positions from which to rain down fire.

"Move forward and get into cover as quickly as you can," he said, keeping his voice low as the forward elements of the squad started to creep out into the open. "We don't want to be caught expo-"

The roar of automatic weaponry cut his command short, confirming what he had feared in the process. Both of the point men staggered backwards as a deluge of lead slammed into their shields very nearly knocking them off their feet. Both soldiers recovered quickly, however, and hunkered down behind their barriers attempting to draw the enemy fire by remaining in the open so that the others could get into cover.

"MOVE!"

Vance shouted over the chatter of machine guns as he himself leapt towards a nearby pillar. He heard the crack of stone shattering behind him as someone directed their fire his way chasing him all the way into cover. A few more shots ricocheted off the marble to keep him suppressed and he was more than happy to oblige by hunkering down behind the heavy column. A quick look around revealed that most of the squad had managed to push forward as well. Only their rearguard elements had failed to advance, instead retreating deeper into the entrance hall to avoid being picked off in the open. Already one azure-coated body lie face down on the polished stone with a steadily expanding pool of blood beneath it.

The barrage of gunfire continued unabated for several more seconds pinning the two shielded mages in place under the sheer weight of fire. Vance could see the strain of maintaining the defensive barriers against such a savage attack already starting to show on his soldier's faces. They wouldn't be able to survive under this kind of pressure for long. Yet, before he could formulate a plan on how to deal with this situation, the shooting simply stopped as abruptly as it had began.

"Brave soldiers of the NOL!"

To the surprise of everyone present, a loud and boisterous voice called out from the far side of the room.

"Allow me to extend my warmest welcome to the Dragon's Den!"

The captain's eye widened in surprise. That voice was unmistakable to anyone who had been involved in this unholy mess. Leaning out of cover just far enough to get a glimpse around the pillar, his suspicion was confirmed. A tall blonde woman covered in heavy tactical armor stood behind the cover of the final tier of slot machines, visible from the waist up. Unlike the half dozen mercenaries fanned out around her she wore no helmet, practically taunting the attackers with her identity.

Despite himself, the captain couldn't help from snarling at her with raw hatred.

"Volkov!"

The Dragon's gaze snapped sideways to his position with preternatural alacrity, pinning him underneath the intensity of her inhuman gaze. Her lips peeled back in a wide manic grin and she chuckled loud enough for him to hear.

"Aha! Captain Vance. I suppose it was a bit of a stretch to assume the little princess would be bold enough to lead a suicide charge herself."

A chill ran down Vance's spine at those words, his eyes widening in surprise. She knew him at a glance? As she could only be referring to Katarina with her other snide comment. Just how much information did this woman possess on the NOL?

"What? Don't look so surprised," she said, picking up on his agitation with ease. "It's the duty of a host to know when distinguished guests are going to arrive. And I've been expecting you for quite some time!"

Vance spat a curse under his breath. He retreated back behind the pillar, wary that a sniper might be lining up a shot on him if he remained exposed for too long. This is precisely the scenario he'd worried about when weighing up the risks of a frontal assault. Volkov's presence was unexpected, however, and threw his thinking for a loop. If she was here on the front lines then she couldn't possibly be planning to escape. Maybe she was just as crazy as everyone thought.

"What are you playing at, Volkov? You know you can't win! Surrender now and you'll be given a fair trial!"

"Followed by a first class hanging, hmm?"

The sarcasm practically dripped from her words and the mercenary snorted at him in derision.

"You must not have been paying attention, Vance. Words don't have a lot of weight around here. If you want to drag me back to your masters like a good little doggie so you can get a treat and a pat on the head..."

A spray of gunfire shattered the calm as the Dragon emptied a fresh clip from her assault rifle into the floor around the pillar. Sparks spat up from the stone as it cracked and shattered under the hail of hot lead. Vince instinctively flinched backwards pressing himself flat against the pillar as the deadly projectiles ricocheted wildly around behind him.

"You're going to have to work for it!"

All hell broke loose at the utterance of his challenge. The bark of automatic fire roared up into a screen of noise as the Librarium soldiers finally started to fire back. Bolts of fire arced through the air, smashing into the second floor balcony where more of the mercenaries had been spotted taking up positions. The black-clad figures retreated in the face of the sizzling power only to return a few moments later and add their chattering gunfire to the mix.

One of the rear guard unleashed a bolt of crackling lightning directly at the mercenary queen and for an instant it seemed as if she might be felled by the well-aimed shot. But that hope was dashed as the woman moved with impossible speed, twisting to the side at the last moment. The deadly blast ripped past her, leaving a crackling spider web of static across her shoulder pad as the lightning bolt missed by fractions of an inch. Flashing a wicked grin at her would-be assassin, the Dragon almost contemptuously lined up a shot with her rifle and unleashed a pair of rounds before anyone had time to react. A shrill scream of pain from the entrance hall confirmed the accuracy of the retaliation.

Similar exchanges took place in a frantic flurry of activity over the next half a minute. Repeated attempts to drive the overwatching soldiers from the balcony met with the most success as the front lip of the ledge was quickly blasted apart leaving the mercenaries no cover to use. The mercenaries on the ground seemed more interested in keeping Vance's men at bay, suppressing them with disciplined barrages of fire that made it too dangerous for any sort of advance across the open space separating the two forces.

Their leader, meanwhile, took great pleasure in continuing to hurl insults and taunts at them, occasionally bringing her unnatural accuracy to bear when someone foolishly overextended themselves. Every shot she took removed another member of the squad from the fight, yet never in a lethal manner. Her attacks were aimed at limbs, designed to cripple rather than kill. Perhaps she was merely toying with them but Vance started to fear than the woman had far more sinister plans in mind. The mental image of the unfortunate Captain Storm still hanging from the casino's roof flashed through his head. He wasn't going to allow that to be the fate of his squad.

"Volkooov!"

Gathering up his courage, Vance lunged from cover without any warning. He bellowed the woman's name in challenge as he did so, calling upon his own considerable magical powers. The arcane energies of a spell flooded through his body, infusing him with the speed and ferocity of a bolt of lightning. He darted forward in a blinding flash, crossing the deadly No Man's Land before anyone could stop him.

Bullets stitched a wild pattern in his wake as two of the soldiers realized the threat. But unlike their mistress, they lacked the super-human reflexes necessary to keep up with the speed-enhanced mage. Flicking back and forth in an erratic zigzag, Vance darted from cover to cover in a blur of motion. The long sword which had been holstered at his side was now clutched tightly in one hand and he could feel the subtle hum of deadly energies lurking within the blade ready to be unleashed at his command.

His teeth clenched tightly as he came to a brief stop only a few feet away from his target, steeling himself for the final lunge. He would only get one shot at this. It would probably cost him his life but at least his men would be free to call in reinforcements to deal with the last of the Dragon's soldiers. With the head cut off the snake, it would be little more than a matter of waiting for the body to thrash about and die.

Feinting a lunge to his left, Vance waited until the soldiers attempted to intercept his supposed course before hurling himself in the opposite direction. He leapt into the air, his magical blade glinting wickedly in the blaze of neon lights as it came crashing down upon the hated woman in a mighty smiting blow. He felt the sword buck as it made contact with its target, struggling to maintain his grip as it encountered resistance. Up close he could see the mercenary's vile face, those lizard-like eyes narrowed, her lips twisted into a snarl of pain, and he couldn't help but bark out a laugh as he realized that he'd accomplished his mission. The Dragon was dead.

Something moved in the corner of his vision just as he'd begun to mentally celebrate, a streak of black motion rippling towards him like an oily smear on reality. No sooner than he had noticed the odd phenomenon he felt a powerful force strike him in the side of the head. His vision blurred under the clouting impact and he tumbled to the ground in a sudden fit of nauseating disorientation. Something moved beneath him, struggling to throw him aside. He resisted instinctively, reaching out with his hands to clutch at whatever was attempting to batter at him and they closed around warm flesh.

A massive burst of noise and force smashed him flat before he could try and capitalize on this. Both he and the person grappling with him let out grunts of surprise and pain. After a moment, Vance turned his gaze upwards as a horrific cracking sound drifted down from above. Overhead, the second-story balcony groaned in protest as a large section of it quickly began to crumble, finally succumbing to the constant bombardment of magical abuse.

In a moment of cold clarity, he realized that the rubble was going to come down right on top of him and there wasn't anything he could do about it. His gaze shifted down to the form pinned beneath him and he laughed upon realizing that it was mercenary commander herself. Her eyes met his for a brief instant as they both shared the knowledge of their final fate in silent understanding.

Then something hit him again. There was noise and pain. Then cold. Then nothing.

******

"Crazy... bastard...!"

Kira hissed in pain as she heaved herself to the side, pulling both the unconscious form of the NOL captain and her own heavily armored body out of the path of the falling debris. A couple tons of wood and stone crashed into the floor behind her as she rolled to the side, the noise so violent and overwhelming that it threatened to crush her all on its own. A wave of dust washed up to engulf her as the expensive marble pulverized itself and everything around it into a fine chalky mist leaving her blind and choking for several seconds as the upper story collapsed all around her.

A full minute passed before the noise finally died down and she felt a hand touch her on the shoulder. The mercenary glanced up to find the familiar face of Zhenya looming overhead, worry clearly etched into the other woman's features. Kira tried to give her a cocky grin but it turned into a wince as she tried to lift her arm to shove the heavy weight of her assailant aside.

"Fuck!"

Zhenya assisted her in pushing the man aside, allowing her to push herself into a sitting position against one of the piles of debris. A quick glance at her arm nearly made her choke in surprise. The mage's sword was lodged firmly into the shoulder pad of her armor, its deadly blade buried halfway into the thick tactical plate. It was only the automated response of her defensive field that had stopped his surprise attack mid-swing, otherwise she'd be missing an arm right now.

Snarling in fury at how close of a call it had been, Kira slapped the hilt of the sword in a fit of anger. The blade clattered across the floor noisily leaving a trail of bright red blood smeared on the stone in its wake. Zhenya was on top of the matter in an instant, her hand already clutching a small canister of emergency sealant. She unfastened the damaged pauldron and quickly hosed down the large gash with a spray of what looked like shaving cream. The chemical concoction quickly hardened into a rubbery epoxy. It would keep the cut sealed and clean until it could be looked at by a proper medic.

Considering that more than enough time wasted on the matter, Kira pushed to her feet and turned her gaze up towards the ruins of the second story.

"Gotta hand it to you, Z, you have impeccable timing."

Zhenya smiled faintly and tossed a small remote detonator to Kira. The bombs rigged to the balcony had worked just as intended, bringing down the house in a rather dramatic fashion. She'd intended to save that little flourish to her show for later but the insane suicide charge of the NOL commander had offered an excellent opportunity. His men had seen him heroically strike down the Dragon only for both of them to be buried in the rubble. It would be days before they could try to dig up all of that rock to look for bodies and Kira had no intention of giving them the chance to realize neither of them were there.

The sound of footsteps behind them drew both women's attention as a pair of helmeted mercenaries emerged from the haze of dust. Kira grinned at them and gave a nod towards the unconscious man on the floor.

"Looks like we've got a plus one for our dinner party, boys. Grab him and head for the elevator. It's time to blow this popcicle stand."

******

Kira and the remaining mercenaries made their way to the hidden elevator shaft in hurried silence. There was no telling how long it would take for the NOL to breach one of the other entrances and if she was spotted alive then all of her plans to convince everyone she was dead would be moot. Fortunately, they encountered no one else until reaching the elevator, where they found a few more mercs waiting for them. Two of the soldiers were supporting a third between them, his body and armor half scorched from a direct impact by a mage's spell. He gave Kira a half-hearted thumbs up as she approached and the lot of them piled into the elevator without any further delay.

"We've made it to the elevators."

Kira pressed a finger to the side of her ear, activating the concealed comm device within. There was a crackle of static for several seconds as the radio cycled its encryption. Using the radio at all was a risk but she was confident that the NOL wasn't likely to have had the forethought to bring the sort of equipment that would be necessary to catch stray radio transmissions that were both scrambled and coming from a few hundred feet underground.

"Roger. This is Big Rooster, I read you loud and clear. What is your ETA, Mama Hen, over?"

Kira closed her eyes and let out a soft groan as several of the mercenaries tried to stifle snorts of laughter. The cocky Latino accent on the other end of the line made it terribly obvious who the owner of the voice was.

"Damnit, I thought I banned you from coming up with the call signs."

"Yeah, well, you say a lot of things, Mama Hen," Carlos responded with an upbeat dismissal. "Again, what is your ETA, over?"

Kira sighed. Arguing with him right now would be pointless.

"Ten minutes until I show up and kick your ass, over."

"Roger. Everything is ready on this end. We're just winging it until you arrive, over."

More stifled amusement slipped out behind her. Kira's lip twitched up in a snarl as she hissed into the microphone.

"I swear, if you make one more fucking bird pun, I am going to-"

A crackle of static interrupted her mid sentence.

"Sorry, didn't copy that. But don't worry, Mama Hen, we've gathered up all the eggs from the nest and loaded them up into our baskets. By the time those foxes get into the henhouse we'll have flown the coop, over."

No one bothered to hold back their laughter any more. Kira leaned her forehead against the cold metal of the elevator's interior and let out a long-suffering sigh but even she was smiling now. Carlos always did have a way of lightening the mood. She was still going to throttle him later, of course, but for now she was happy to enjoy the fact that everything seemed to have gone as planned.

"Now all we have to do," she whispered softly to no one in particular, "is hurry up and wait to see if things shake out as expected."

Without any particular fanfare, Kira pulled the detonator from her pocket. A simple flick of her thumb and the push of a button and the Black Dragon Casino ceased to be.

******

"Breaking news tonight as the crazed rampage of the terrorist known as The Black Dragon has finally come to an end. Earlier this afternoon the NOL issued a public statement that the woman responsible for the Dark Stalker invasion, Kira Volkov, has been confirmed killed. After several pitched battles in which her forces were soundly defeated, the Librarium's brave soldiers lead a daring assault on the mercenary forces which were holed up in the recently built Dragon's Den Casino."

"Sources within the NOL have suggested that this foreign facility was built expressly for the purposes of acting as a small military stronghold for the African crime boss as it was heavily defended by hidden gun emplacements and underground bunker networks. But, despite the efforts of this terrorist warlord, the NOL did emerge victorious while suffering only very light casualties. The NOL attributes this success to the effectiveness of their unique combat skills and believe that this is yet another example of magic surpassing the limitations of technology. Those seeking more information on the NOL and its recruitment opportunities can go to this helpful web site..."

"In regards to the tremors that were experienced this afternoon, authorities have revealed that the cause of this disturbance was not an earthquake but a result of the NOL's actions against The Black Dragon. Near the end of the assault on the mercenary stronghold a large detonation caused a series of chain reactions that leveled the entire facility to the ground. Librarium officials have offered no official statement on the cause of this explosion but experts have speculated that it is likely an ammo cache or generator may have been set off by the intense fighting. Eye-witness reports from soldiers involved in the battle claim that Volkov was caught in the explosion and perished, along with Captain Derrik Vance, who bravely lead a spearhead assault on the mercenary after the facility was breached. Captain Vance's heroism has been commended by the NOL and a ceremony to honor his memory is already being planned. Stay tuned tomorrow for more details."

Log created on 17:11:32 12/26/2020 by Kira Volkov, and last modified on 17:24:08 12/26/2020.