alternate prologue

December 25th, 2014; 3:12 P.M.

Warehouse Somewhere in Ary-Mas Forest, Russia



It was his dream, it had always been his dream. So why couldn't he control the dream like he always could. These thoughts stirred in Dimitri's mind as he sat in the helicopter asleep. The loud rattling of the helicopter's rotors spinning round and round acting as a lullaby for him. Dimitri shifts in his seat, his face now directed outside.

The dream always begins with a memory. Dimitri is thirteen years old. It's his sister's birthday and he's bought her a blue ribbon. Dimitri arrives home to find the front door open. Dimitri knows he'll find his family dead. Stab wounds covering their bodies. So he tries dreams that his family is alive. That his sister adores the blue ribbon. Instead, the memory continues on. He opens the door and finds his family dead.

Dirt and snow swirl around the helicopter as it lands with a thud. Dimitri is jolted awake, the dream nothing but fog in his mind now. He unbuckles the seat belt and steps out. A ten yards away stands a warehouse. Dimitri begins to make his way towards the warehouse. Maybe the dream is a warning. He thinks to himself. Dimitri reaches the warehouse doors only to find them frozen shut with ice.

Dimitri sighs, "You've got to be kidding me."

He takes a few steps back and kicks the door. The ice shatters from his kick and the doors swing open. Suddenly two men are in his face with AK-47's. The two men force him back outside.

"Who are you!" one shouts.

"Dimitri! My name is Dimitri!" Dimitri replies. His hands above his head.

The men lower their and begin to apologize, "Sorry, Dimitri. We were just startled. Please follow us."

They lead Dimitri to a small room in a corner of the warehouse. One of the men opens the door and says, "Sir, Dimitri is here."

"Good, good. Have him come in," an elderly man beckons. The small room is lit by a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling. A table and two chairs occupy the room, casting their shadows onto the concrete floor. In one of the chairs sits the old man. Moments later Dimitri enters the room and sits in the other chair.

"I bring good news comrade," Dimitri begins, "The setup was a success. Russia is now seen as the innocent victim. In addition, we also have the American soldiers in our custody as evidence. We will declare war in about thirty minutes."

"Well done Dimitri!" the elderly man exclaims, shaking Dimitri's hand, "I expected no more or no less from you." He suddenly becomes quiet and asks, "How many comrades did we lose to the American soldiers?"

Dimitri looks down, "Eighty-four were killed along with twenty more wounded," he whispers mournfully.

"A fair price to pay for what's to come I suppose," the elderly man solemnly replies. He slowly rises up from his chair and begins to circle the room with his hands behind his back. He stops behind Dimitri and inquires, "Did the American pigs who call themselves leaders hold up to their end of the bargain?"

Dimitri turns around in his chair, looks up and smiles at him. "As agreed the American president ordered the shutdown of the internet and has censored all media outlets in his country. He's also completely shut off the supply of all electricity to his country. The Americans are in the dark ages and will have no idea what's to come. As we speak there are already riots breaking out as mass panic consumes the country. In about an hour my men will meet with the president and his lackeys to deliver the nine-trillion Euros. Sadly for the president, the cases that hold the Euros are rigged with explosives. After they leave my men will detonate the explosives."

"Marvelous Dimitri! Simply marvelous!" the elderly man chuckles. "How about our stocks?" he asks continuing to circle the room.

"We sold them off and bought all the gold we could afford." Dimitri replies.

"Wonderful!" the elderly man laughs, clapping his hands together. He turns to Dimitri and takes out a cell phone. "Excuse me Dimitri. I must tell them to proceed with the project. My men will escort you to the chopper outside. I'll meet you out there in a second."

"Of course." Dimitri replies walking out the door.

The two men from before escort him outside as the elderly man had said. Chilling winds nip at Dimitri's nose. As they reach the helicopter Dimitri suddenly feels a sharp pain in his back. One of the men escorting him had stuck a knife into his back. Dimitri stumbles and falls to his knees onto the snow. He slowly reaches for his back and lets out a grunt as he pulls out the knife. He tries to get back up to attack the escorts, but one of them kicks him to the ground. He falls face first into the snow. His breathing becomes shallow and weak as blood begins to pool around him, staining the snow red. Dimitri looks up to find the elderly man standing before him, pistol in hand.

"Comrade, why?" He groans.

"I'm sorry Dimitri, but there must be no evidence. You were a good soldier but you know too much." The elderly man explains leveling a pistol at Dimitri's head.

Dimitri swears in Russian and closes his eyes. A loud bang echoes across the frozen landscape seconds later.

The elderly man takes out his cell phone, dials a number and mutters, "It's done. Project Horsemen is a go. Launch the attack in twenty minutes." He hangs up and enters the helicopter with the two escorts following him. Moments later after the helicopter takes off the elderly man detonates charges planted around the warehouse. The warehouse explodes in a huge ball of flames. All evidence of the old man's presence is incinerated in seconds. Except for Dimitri, who's body laid sprawled out in a puddle blood.