Vladivostok 1200 hours
Victory Rally
Putin smiled and waved as his open top car passed the cheering crowd celebrating the victory over the rebels in the Southern Communes. All that remained now was to crush the Mountain People and FEAR's grip on the South would be secure for all eternity.
Putin sighed with satisfaction, swept up by the adulation of the crowd who looked at him as a messiah. He and FEAR had come a long way from the time that they were the last remains of the desperate Red Army and KGB forces that had fled East. In the early days of the Republic it was not at all clear that FEAR would survive. But under his leadership it had triumphed and prospered beyond his wildest dreams. The nation and the world would now look to him for guidance. His cars passed rows of school children who sang the national anthem.
A little girl approached the car and presented him a bouquet of flowers weeping in delight. He smiled and thanked her accepting the bouquet. A spurt of warm liquid splashed against his face as the little girl collapsed. The cheering of the crowd changed suddenly into screams as armed masked gunmen burst forth peppering his car with machine gun fire.
His security officers responded quickly shielding themselves with their bodies and forcing him to the ground. He could hear the bullets tear through flesh and the sound of children screaming and crying.
One of the gunmen launched an RPG which slammed into the side of the car blasting the entire right side apart. Putin screamed as he felt white hot pain lance through the entire right side of his body as the world went black.
Vladivostok 1356 hours
Hospital
He awoke blearily, the pain was dulled now but the blackness still tinged the corner of his eyes. He tried to move but found he was unable to.
Two doctors came in glanced at him and checked his chart. He tried to speak but found his tongue stiff and dry. He strained to hear the words of the doctors but could only make out a few snatches of their conversation.
"....heavy burns on the right side of body...."
"... irreparable damage to right arm...."
"....possible blindness in right eye..."
"....serious scarring...."
"....no good we'll have to replace it...."
He tried to scream out but all that came out was a rasp. It was sufficient to get the doctors attention. One of them approached him "Why hello Number 3. I am Doctor Yuri Zhivago." he said.
"It seems you suffered some serious damage. We could fix you up with robotic implants and such, but quite frankly it wouldn't be worth it. Its easier to just replace you." he sighed and adjusted his glasses.
"What a waste" he murmured "Such a fine specimen."
He nodded to his assistant who filled a hypodermic needle with a clear liquid and handed it to him.
"Well goodbye Number 3." he said sticking the needle into the arm and injecting the fluid.
The world went black again for Vladimir Putin.
"Well" said Doctor Zhivago checking his pulse "He's dead now. Take the body to the morque and see to it that it's incinerated. Also put in a call to the Yakutsk Genetic Research Facility. We need a replacement"
The assistant nodded "Yes Doctor."
Vladivostok 1800 Hours
General Address to Nation
"These terrorist scum will pay dearly" Putin roared shaking his fist.
"For every child whose blood was spilled in the cowardly terrorist attack, I will bring forth a most terrible retribution. The people of FEAR call for vengeance and this cry will not go unheeded. In one final crippling blow I will end the disturbances in the Southern Communes once and for all. The rebels, the traitors, the terrorists, and counterrevolutionaries will face the Fist of the People."
"Their attempt to assassinate me failed. I escaped unscathed physically. But I mourn the loss of our nations children along with all of you. I remember the little girl who brought me the bouquet of flowers just before she was cruelly cut down in a hail of gunfire. I dedicate this to her and the other children who lost their lives. I promise justice shall be done and I ask all people of FEAR join me in this."
