Beautiful Lie [John 'Soap' Mactavish]

Twenty Three [One Month]

Alyssa sat at the table, her hands trembled as they ran over one another, she took a deep breath in a vain attempt to steady her breathing. It would be her first-time meeting Vladimir Makarov and his second in command Nikita Turgenev. She had been called to undergo an 'initiation'. She wondered what it would entail.

As her hands rested against the cool wood of the table before her, she glanced around the room. The table was carved from a rich dark wood, it reminded her of her father's desk in his office, expensive and well manufactured.

A large fireplace to her left bathed her in a warm glow it coloured the well decorated room in a orange light, it crackled as the fire worked its way through the logs that had been placed. The walls decorated with expensive art from every corner of the world, she didn't know if they were real or not, but they impressed her non the less.

She hadn't known what to expect when she took this mission, she had assumed the terrorists would be hiding in far corners of the world, terrified they would be found at any moment. But she found herself in a large mansion just on the outskirts of Moscow, it was warm, and welcoming compared to the bitter cold and snow coating the floor outside. It was rich and well decorated and not what she had expected.

The door behind her opened, smoothly scrapping against the large Russian rug that lined the floor. She heard their shoes as they entered the room, two men Alyssa had seen before, the same two who had brought her to this room and left silently, they stood either end of the room watching her.

Nikita Turgenev entered next, he wasn't what Alyssa had expected, he was young, handsome, his black hair neatly styled although a few strands fell across his forehead, he had a large scar running down the left of his jawline, slightly hidden under a light coating of stubble, His eyes were a bright Brown that seemed to glow in the light of the fire. He was well dressed, in an expensive suit, the sleeves rolled to his elbow as he moved towards the seat opposite her. He sat radiating confidence as he stared at the girl across from him.

Vladimir Makarov was the last person to enter the room, He was shorter than Turgenev, but equally as well dressed. His black hair was messier from running his hands through the dark strand's countless times, his eyes were two different colours, one blue and one green, but they were both sunken slightly, he was freshly shaven, a few small scars littering his face, Alyssa watched him as he stared into the fire warming himself. He gently removed the scarf around his neck neatly folding it before handing it towards one of the men Alyssa didn't know.

"so you want to join us?" Makarov questioned in Russian, Alyssa swallowed thickly, she felt tiny under Nikita's gaze, the terrorist continued to stare at her shuffling slightly in his seat. Alyssa glanced from Turgenev towards Makarov.

"Da" she replied, her voice more confident than she had expected it to sound. Makarov glanced to Turgenev, the pair sharing a look, the latter rising an eyebrow towards his friend before the terrorist returned his attention towards the girl.

Makarov moved towards her, nodding slightly, he sucked his teeth slightly, taking something from the unknown man stood closest to the door, he moved back towards the table standing before Turgenev and Alyssa.

"We have rules" he spoke, Alyssa nodded. Makarov smirked slightly; he placed a revolver onto the table between the two. Alyssa swallowed thickly as she glanced from the gun towards Makarov.

"In Russia. We have a game" he took a single bullet placing it next to the revolver. Alyssa eyes fell onto Turgenev as he reached forward taking the gun a placing the bullet into the chamber. He spun the barrel clicking it into place.

"If you play. You play to stay do you understand?" he questioned, Alyssa nodded once more, her breathing hitching in her throat, her hands turned uncomfortably clammy as they continued to run over one another, she chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek.