Against All Odds: Part 39 - The Extrication of Alexei Korolev
**_Part 39 - The Extrication of Alexei Korolev_** _(Alexei)_ Cooking, cleaning and another stint of gardening: they all kept Alexei busy around the house the day after his difficult discussion with Nate. A decent night's sleep helped to ease his...
Against All Odds: Part 38 - Release
**_Part 38 - Release_** _(Nathan)_ ** ** The black window that replaced Alexei's image sat imposingly in the centre of Nathan's screen, mirroring the emptiness left deep inside of him. He sat unmoving in his chair, reeling from the force of the...
Against All Odds: Part 37 - Currents
**_Part 37 - Currents_** _(Alexei)_ Tiredness, mental as much as physical, took ahold of Alexei long before those final few paces towards home. He followed his grandfather up the front path, the surrounding plants and shrubbery far neater since...
Against All Odds: Part 36 - Lifeline
**_Part 36 - Lifeline_** _(Nathan)_ "Yet another day of _this_," Nathan moaned, glaring hatefully at the ever-increasing list of unread emails. "I'm so over it now." He flopped back in his office chair, rapidly losing focus on the work task at...
Against All Odds: Part 35 - Fracture
_ _ **_Part 35 - Fracture_** _(Alexei)_ "Good gods," Nathan gasped, his voice exiting Alexei's headset via the old computer he'd set up in the corner of his sparsely furnished, green-walled bedroom. "You should see this." "What?" "A video I've...
Against All Odds: Part 34 - Rumbled
**_Part 34 - Rumbled_** _(Nathan)_ If spending Sunday in solitude anticipating his first day back to work had dragged Nathan's mood down, arriving at his desk on Monday morning plain caused it to plummet. He forewent the opportunity to head in...
Against All Odds: Part 33 - Reverie
**_Part 33 - Reverie_** _(Alexei)_ "We're almost there!" Alexei boomed out a laugh, eyes fixed upon the little husky straddling his muzzle. "Can you see anyone yet?" He kept his form gentle, wary of dislodging Nathan during the swim across the...
Against All Odds: Part 32 - Distances
**_Part 32 - Distances_** _(Nathan)_ At times, it felt as if the twelve hour trip back to Polcia would never end. A slow, rocky ferry and an uncomfortably long flight sat separated by a two hour layover in Bolstrovo; something that did little to...
Against All Odds: Part 31 - Sands of Time
**_Part 31 - Sands of Time_** _(Nathan)_ To Nathan's considerable relief, the stay in hospital he and Alexei had to endure lasted less than a day. Still, they each had to put up with an array of scans and treatments throughout the night, with a...
Against All Odds: Part 30 - From The Ashes
**_Part 30 - From The Ashes_** _(Alexei)_ Alexei's workshop smouldered in the streetlights' glow; the fire brigade arriving too late to prevent the flames from reducing it to a charred, broken shell. His apartment sat perched precariously above,...
Against All Odds: Part 29 - Trial By Fire
**_Part 29 - Trial By Fire_** _(Nathan)_ _ _ The fire spread rapidly, transforming the countless wood chips peppering the ground into wickedly burning embers. A collective gasp rang out from the gang, each member having to stagger back from the...
Against All Odds: Part 28 - Retribution
**_Part 28 - Retribution_** _(Nathan)_ "Yes, I spoke with your friend earlier," the female dispatch officer confirmed over the phone, responding to Nathan's panicked summary of the situation and its unwelcomed escalation. "He told me of your...