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--donation bonus (day #15, post 5/5)--
Stoker tried to ignore her remarks, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. She held his life in her hands, after all. If she truly ended up defecting from Abolish, he would have no choice but to follow her, lest she release him and find someone else--not that it would make much difference, if he had to fight Karkash. That was one thing he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Karkash was busy with their guest--a local reporter who had been badmouthing the government’s sudden, unexplained increases in military expenditures. Stoker and Karkash had invited the man here to show him precisely where the money was going.

The bunker’s old storage facility was a maze of ceiling-high shelves and crates, all containing decommissioned equipment that had been quietly imported from various foreign powers. It was still a work-in-progress by their Morgunov comrades, but Stoker was impressed nonetheless. He’d browsed the wares earlier and spotted a few RPGs and so forth, but the most appealing sight had been the pair of anti-aircraft batteries tucked away in the corner. Of course, such equipment was not strictly needed, given his and Karkash’s abilities, but he quite appreciated the extra firepower. And from what he heard, more were on the way, which had not pleased Nize, of course.

To Stoker, Nize and the other reapers were large, hulking dragons--though, in truth, they looked like snakes, but given their propensity for flight, he had come to think of them more as dragons.

“I was surprised when I received your invitation,” said the reporter. He gave a curt laugh, though it retained a nervous hint. “I’m still rather curious as to why you’ve showed me all of this. Are you two trying to blow the whistle on your bosses or...?”

“Not quite,” said Stoker. “You are free to write whatever you like about what you see in this place, but we were hoping that you would change your views after this visit.”