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- 03/23/2025
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
The Strivers - 27. Chapter 27 - A Step into the Unknown
A cryptic message for Alexei breaks the suite’s calm, thrusting him toward an urgent meeting in St. Petersburg. With Dimitri’s help, he pinpoints the spot and gears up for an unexpected mission, heart pounding with excitement and nerves. Reaching a plain fast-food joint, he wavers, torn between doubt and resolve as the unknown looms ahead.
The suite’s buzzer rang, slicing through the room’s heavy quiet. Alexei shot up fast. He didn’t even need to glance at his friends to know they’d all caught the sound. Illya and Dimitri swapped a quick look before fixing their eyes on the door, waiting for what came next.
The bellhop stepped in wordlessly, holding a small envelope. The three boys froze on the spot. Alexei’s brow creased as he spotted his name scrawled on it. A faint shiver ran down his spine as he reached out.
“For Monsieur Alexei,” the bellhop said in a flat tone, handing it over before slipping out as quietly as he’d come.
“For Monsieur Alexei,” the bellhop said in a flat tone, handing it over before slipping out as quietly as he’d come.
Their eyes met. A weird silence settled over the room. It was the first time a message had singled one of them out. Alexei felt a strange jolt, like he’d been shoved under a spotlight, some spy gearing up for a job. But his focus locked on the envelope.
Without thinking, he tore it open with an almost automatic snap. Inside, a single sheet listed an address, a 1:00 p.m. meet, and a name: Yuri.
“Well?” Dimitri leaned in, curious.
“Well?” Dimitri leaned in, curious.
Alexei passed him the paper without a word. Dimitri checked the time on his phone: 11:20. His brows shot up.
“Whoa, where’s this meet at?” he asked, glancing at the address.
“Whoa, where’s this meet at?” he asked, glancing at the address.
Alexei frowned, just as stumped. No one had an answer. Dimitri let out a curse.
“Damn it, are we useless or what?” he blurted, lunging for the biggest case with a wild energy. He flipped it open in one swift move.
“Damn it, are we useless or what?” he blurted, lunging for the biggest case with a wild energy. He flipped it open in one swift move.
In a flash, he pulled out a top-notch laptop and fired it up without a second thought.
“You think there’s internet?” he asked with a half-grin, fingers already tapping the keys.
“Gotta be,” Alexei shot back, like he needed to hear it himself.
“You think there’s internet?” he asked with a half-grin, fingers already tapping the keys.
“Gotta be,” Alexei shot back, like he needed to hear it himself.
The screen glowed to life. Dimitri hunched over it, zeroed in, hands flying.
“Okay, okay…” he muttered, pulling up a browser. “Where’s it at again?” He turned to Alexei.
“Okay, okay…” he muttered, pulling up a browser. “Where’s it at again?” He turned to Alexei.
Alexei read off the address from the paper, and Dimitri punched it in quick.
“Got it!” he grinned, triumphant. “ It’s a solid three-quarters of an hour from here, so you don’t have much time to waste if you want to make it on time!”
“Got it!” he grinned, triumphant. “ It’s a solid three-quarters of an hour from here, so you don’t have much time to waste if you want to make it on time!”
Alexei swallowed hard. A weird pressure squeezed his chest.
“Okay… okay… What do I take?”
“Okay… okay… What do I take?”
Dimitri handed him a phone.
“It’s secure. Press here to talk, and we’ll hear you.”
“It’s secure. Press here to talk, and we’ll hear you.”
Alexei nodded.
“Stick this in your ear – you’ll hear us too. Got it?” Dimitri added, tossing him a tiny earpiece.
“Got it.”
“Stick this in your ear – you’ll hear us too. Got it?” Dimitri added, tossing him a tiny earpiece.
“Got it.”
He cast a last look around the suite, double-checking. Something caught his eye: a small bundle on the table. Metro tickets. Why tickets? And why folded in half?
He snatched them up fast.
“Here we go!” he huffed, sucking in a deep breath.
“Here we go!” he huffed, sucking in a deep breath.
The elevator doors slid shut, whisking him down to the lobby. Downstairs, he took a big gulp of air before stepping into the street’s bustle. The city felt calm, almost unreal, like a frame from a spy flick.
He headed for the nearest metro stop. Tickets in his pocket, every tick of the clock pressed on him. The ride would be short, but he had to stay sharp. The rumble of trains, distant horns, and the crowd’s shuffle wrapped around him. Alexei wove through people with a near-overdone focus, scanning every twitch, every glance.
At each stop, his mind stayed locked. He checked slyly for tails, but nothing stood out. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of starring in some thriller, every step measured like on screen.
The trip felt too long and too quick all at once. Finally, he hit his stop with ten minutes to spare.
The metro doors parted. Alexei slipped out, heart thumping, thoughts a mess. Ahead stood a plain fast-food joint, its front nothing special. Doubt crept in: This can’t be it, can it?
He stood still a beat, adjusted his earpiece, and stepped toward the entrance, a mix of nerves and grit pushing him on.
This was the meet? Where was Yuri?
He breathed deep, feeling lost yet braced.
The mission was real. Now he had to find out what waited.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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