[amatomnes] application
CHARACTER
» Name: Major Ivan Raidenovich Raikov
» Fandom: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
» Reference: Wikipedia section (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metal_Gear_Solid_3_characters#Raikov), but I also reference other sources within the application.
» Canon Point: Shortly after Naked Snake is "interrogated" and detained, found out by Colonel Volgin despite his seemingly flawless visual disguise as Major Raikov.
Among fans, it is debated on whether Snake neutralized Raikov by killing him or simply tranquilizing him. However, a cut scene clearly shows that when Snake stuffs him into his own locker, Raikov is quite alive - just tranquilized. If you open up the locker during in-game play and kill Raikov, his skin tone becomes slightly ashen, and the Zs circling tranquilized enemies' heads disappears. Also, Raikov goes on to appear in a minor, optional side quest in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, leading to eventually joining Naked Snake (Big Boss then)'s side. So when Snake's support team refers to Raikov's body as a corpse after the cut scene, it's just wishful thinking; he's still alive.
» Gender: Male / Male
» Orientation: Homosexual. He has a canon relationship with Colonel Volgin that's heavily implied in the game, though Naked Snake is too dense to get it even when his support team does, but more explicit in the Metal Gear Solid Encyclopedia that arrived in the PlayStation store shortly following Metal Gear Solid 4's release. Really, it's outright stated that the Major is Colonel Volgin's lover: http://gaygamer.net/2008/06/metal_gear_solid_gay_gay_gay.html (includes a screenshot of the entry).
Colonel Volgin is canonically bisexual, so why decide that Raikov is homosexual instead of bisexual like his lover? I'm going from an in-game conversation that EVA, a spy in Groznyj Grad (Russian fortress Naked Snake has to sneak into in the game) posing as a meek woman Volgin takes up as a lover-on-the-side, has with Naked Snake about Major Raikov:
EVA: "The security in the west wing where Sokolov is being held is extremely
tight. The only ones who are cleared to enter the west wing are those with
colonel-class authorization. One of those people is Major Raikov. To get
into the west wing, you could disguise yourself as Raikov. First, you'll
have to take Raikov out and steal his uniform. He's in the east wing of
the weapons lab in the center of Groznyj Grad. The east wing is northeast
of your current location. Head northeast."
Snake: "All right. But why?"
EVA: "Huh?"
Snake: "Why do I have to steal Raikov's clothes from him? What about that
scientist outfit..."
EVA: "That's not going to work this time around. Raikov's uniform is a special
type that only he wears. You'll have to get it directly from him. Normally
I'm pretty good at getting men to take off their clothes, but it won't
work on him."
Snake: "?"
EVA: "You, on the other hand, might have a better chance with him."
Snake: "What's that supposed to mean?"
EVA: "What indeed. Anyway, the only way to get Raikov's uniform is to take him
out and steal it yourself. He's somewhere in the east wing."
(codec script guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/928437/43456)
EVA's a charm agent but even says herself that literally charming the pants off Raikov won't work for her. Could it be that, despite the seemingly "open" status of his relationship with Volgin, that Raikov is just very committed to his lover? "You, on the other hand, might have a better chance with him." Maybe not. Also, Raikov is the only soldier in GRU to not be distracted by pornographic magazines. Whereas other soldiers intently study the images of women, Raikov doesn't seem really into studying them. He takes a look at them from a distance, probably just to see what's on the floor, but that's as far as his interest in them goes.
YouTube video of Raikov's in-game reaction to pornographic magazines (Raikov's bit starts at 1:30): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6NiSxxW2YY
In any case, that's my reasoning for making his sexual orientation homosexual rather than bisexual. Should he be accepted into the game, though, I don't see him as refusing to have sex with a woman should it become a necessity or matter of survival. He can do it, but he just wouldn't enjoy it as much.
» Personality: The best way to describe Raikov's personality is probably by showing a conversation that EVA has with Naked Snake:
EVA: "OK, your Raikov disguise is complete. Now they won't stop you no matter
what you do."
Snake: "Even if I punch someone in the face?"
EVA: "Right."
Snake: "Really?"
EVA: "Really."
Snake: "Why?"
EVA: "Raikov's just that kind of guy."
Snake: "..."
EVA: "Once you're disguised as Raikov, you can get into the west wing where
Sokolov is being held. To get to the entrance to the west wing, pass west
through the main wing of the weapons lab and go through the connecting
passageway. You can get into the main wing of the weapons lab from the
southwest side of the second floor. Head for the main wing."
(codec script guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/928437/43456)
He's just that kind of guy.
Really, that's all the game tells you about his personality, but from the portion of the game where you actually have to neutralize him and steal his clothes shows quite a lot about him. EVA isn't lying when she says that Snake can punch someone in the face as Raikov and get away with it. Upon seeing Raikov being just that kind of guy, the other officers, soldiers, and scientists all stop and salute while shaking and keeping their heads down. Punch them disguised as Raikov, and they'll even congratulate you for a job well done or thank you.
YouTube video of this in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qKY2OPleHE
It's apparent that Raikov has the run of Groznyj Grad and can do pretty much anything without reprimand, which is something he seems to take advantage of! This is primarily because of his relationship to Colonel Volgin (a pretty healthily feared dude since he's a sadist and channels 10 million volts of electricity [and I wish I was kidding but I'm not]) as well as being his right-hand man in the facility.
Despite being so feared, Raikov tends to hide in the bathroom stall whenever there's trouble afoot - or sign of an intruder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njuVs6VvZJw). One could label him as cowardly when it comes to dangerous things because of it, but if he finds out that Naked Snake, disguised, is the intruder, then, well, he doesn't hesitate to beat him up all the while calling for help and backup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707nWmDMNqc, around 1:04). And, while there's unfortunately no YouTube video evidence I've found for it, his shooting skills, which he heavily employs upon finding out that you're the intruder, are actually pretty good and kinda put a dent in Snake's health bar. Also, if you throw a live snake at him, unlike the other officers who will seem afraid and try to shoot at the snake from a distance, Raikov gets out his KNIFE, stares that snake down, cuts that bitch, and then eats the ration it produces. So Raikov, despite his tendency to hide from danger, is not inept at the whole fighting bit of being a GRU officer and is most likely rather good at what he does. He's even secretly badass (really, that snake bit is impressive). But he's also probably just lazy and doesn't want to risk the danger. Why put himself in harm's way when he has expendable subordinates?
People who go around punching other people for no good reason probably aren't very nice people. And while Raikov probably has his good moments (most likely with Volgin who states in-game that he knows Ivan better than anyone else), he's not that nice of a person on the inside. However, I have no doubt that he puts up a semi-polite veneer in "public". ...That "public" including the bathroom he likes to hide in (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707nWmDMNqc). Or rather, I consider it semi-polite for Raikov to invite the disguised Snake into the stall before threatening him. Since he's just that kind of guy, Raikov could have easily opened up the door and punched Snake in the face at first knock :D
On the subject of faces, an important aspect of Raikov's personality is his face and how he views it. When Naked Snake neutralizes Raikov and takes his uniform, he completely takes on Raikov's appearance thanks to the incredibly accurate mask of the Major's face that a member of Snake's support team designed. So that's an important fact to keep in mind when seeing Raikov's reaction to seeing his face on another man (Snake in the scientist disguise): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lopZ5rnprdI. When encountered with his face, he says, "How...beautiful..." And it takes him almost twenty seconds to realize after seeing it that this might be a little suspicious! So Raikov obviously thinks of himself as beautiful (which is an odd term considering he's a military man), and I think a nice dose of vanity and self-absorption makes up a more overt part of his personality. He's also not at all observant and, since he's just that kind of guy (which is not a nice guy), he probably doesn't think beyond himself much. Considering other people and how they might feel having Raikov's fist in their face (or crotch) is obviously not a top priority for him. This inattentiveness hopefully explains that embarrassing twenty seconds, especially since it hardly takes any time at all for another officer to deduce that Naked Snake is an intruder with the scientist disguise and mask on (even then, there's a video in which Raikov doesn't even notice the mask at all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLRJkc64aik, 0:37-1:37). So it would be safe to say that, like his lover, Raikov is not a detail-oriented person, especially when it comes to the face. It even suggests that he doesn't consider people as individuals, but rather broad groups like Scientist, Subordinate, Intruder, etc.
To sum up this TL;DR, Raikov is:
- just that kind of guy
- cruel to subordinates
- opportunistic
- not a nice person
- surprisingly decent at fighting
- superficial
- not at all observant. at. all.
- vain/self-absorbed/selfish
- not detail-oriented/inattentive
- not concerned for others
- just that kind of guy
» Appearance: http://gaygamer.net/images/Raidenmgs3.jpg
With blue eyes and extremely pale and shaggy blond hair, Major Ivan Raidenovich Raikov appears to be in a GRU olive officer uniform with the same standard-issue equipment that the other officers receive. However, the most overt different between Raikov and the other officers is his hairstyle, which is rather atypical, and I suspect that if he wasn't the Colonel's lover, he'd be forced to keep it cropped short like the rest of the soldiers. Also, Raikov seems to think his face is beautiful, and in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops a spy report describes Raikov as handsome, so he could be described as good-looking. In gameplay and official "art" images as linked above, Raikov's hair looks rather silvery, but the reason why I choose to describe him as a blond (platinum, probably) is because that's how the hair on Naked Snake's Raikov mask looks in the Face Camo screen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLRJkc64aik, 0:40). The Face Camo screen is actually an excellent look at what Raikov's face is supposed to look like without Groznyj Grad's ambient light to consider. Physically, Raikov is built like a soldier and seems to be around Naked Snake's height, which is approximately 6'2"ish. That, and Naked Snake can wear his uniform with ease without complaining about the fit, which is different than in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty where Raiden, and the rest of his support team, remark that the enemy uniform he has to disguise himself in is ill-fitted.
SAMPLES
» "amatomnes" Entry: [The voice on the audio feed is abrupt and demanding.]
HQ? Respond immediately, HQ! Major Raikov here. I've been forcibly relocated by an unknown party to an unfamiliar area - possibly enemy territory. Commence alert formation and send out a search party at once.
Respond, HQ, and keep in touch.
[There is a pause in the feed, and then the voice begins again in a suggestive afterthought.]
And to anyone else who may be listening, know that I am a very important military officer and the right-hand man of Colonel Yevgheny Borisovich Volgin - Thunderbolt to the Western world. He is a powerful man in both influence and strength, and I assure you that he is quite displeased at my absence.
Any assistance out of here will be handsomely rewarded.
[There is the sound of the audio device being handled as he figures out how to stop recording; the transmission ends a few seconds later.]
» "amatomneslogs" Entry: Upon waking up, the first thing that Ivan Raidenovich Raikov noticed was not that he was naked, nor that he was in an unfamiliar place, but that he was alone. And even when he gradually picked up on the rest of details, that was still the most disconcerting one.
He was one of the beautiful people, so by all means he should have been with someone. The only acceptable places to be naked and alone for a man his looks and standing in were his quarters or the Colonel's - and even then, he wouldn't have been alone for long. No, Yevgheny Borisovich Volgin took care of him. But it didn't feel like he had taken care of him at the moment. One of the things about being the lover to a man who carried a charge of 10 million volts was that electroplay was a given almost every time, and that left a dull, drained sensation. He felt calm and satiated naked on a strange bed but not like he had spent the night with the Colonel. Since this was neither his nor Yevgheny's quarters, and he had no recollection of going to bed with a fellow officer, he shouldn't have been alone.
Even if he had been stolen away by that - or another - CIA dog again, the unfamiliar bed and room was too nice for a detainee. It was too nice for even a high-ranking officer, even, much less anywhere he knew within Soviet borders. In a world of standard, unifying equipment and goods, his surroundings were definitely foreign. So he was rather baffled.
Where was he and why? More importantly, could he get out and back to the familiar structure of Groznyj Grad and his Zhenya? Upon seeing his uniform folded neatly at the foot of the bed (who would be so careful with the enemy's belongings?), he leaned over, carelessly rifling through them and undoing the careful neatness in search of one vital object: his radio. However, a throughout search of the room yielded no result. There was his standard officer-issue lighter, a few saved cigarettes, and a knife, but no radio.
"Well, if this situation isn't a whore..." he muttered, still nude and sitting at the side of the bed. Raikov contemplated smoking in hopes of taking off the edge and drawing someone into the room, but he figured he might as well be dressed first. He slipped into his thong, undershirt, dress shirt, and jodhpurs with practiced ease; for his tie he sought out the aid of a vanity mirror on the wall. It wasn't as if he couldn't tie it blind, but he wanted his reflection to confirm that yes, his hair was perfect as always; yes, he did look strapping in his uniform; yes, he-
-had a leather collar around his neck?
He tugged at it experimentally, but for now, it was the least of his concerns. Ending up situating it comfortably above the knot of his tie, he left the mirror disturbed at the discovery. What all happened to him, and why couldn't he remember anything of it? He tugged on his boots, slipped on his gloves, and with the final addition of his officer's cap nestled on his head, he felt a bit better at the moment and more ready to deal with whatever may come. After all, there were worse situations to be in - he should know; he'd helped create many of them.
"Yevgheny," he sighed, feeling the Colonel's mental absence unnerving. But he wouldn't admit that he missed him, not so soon, no. He was a military man now and had been for a decent amount of years. He wouldn't allow himself the romantic sentimentality of his youth.
Frustrated, he strode to the closed door, wrapped his hand around the knob, twisted it, and pushed. He fully anticipated resistance, for it to be locked, to engage in a battle of kinetics against the locking mechanism, punch it a bit maybe, and swear threateningly to whomever might be on the other side, no doubt waiting for him to do all of this. But, surprise of surprises, this didn't happen. Instead, it opened.
"Huh."
He shrugged, pleased with his excellent doorknob-turning skills, and crossed the threshold.
» Name: Major Ivan Raidenovich Raikov
» Fandom: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
» Reference: Wikipedia section (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metal_Gear_Solid_3_characters#Raikov), but I also reference other sources within the application.
» Canon Point: Shortly after Naked Snake is "interrogated" and detained, found out by Colonel Volgin despite his seemingly flawless visual disguise as Major Raikov.
Among fans, it is debated on whether Snake neutralized Raikov by killing him or simply tranquilizing him. However, a cut scene clearly shows that when Snake stuffs him into his own locker, Raikov is quite alive - just tranquilized. If you open up the locker during in-game play and kill Raikov, his skin tone becomes slightly ashen, and the Zs circling tranquilized enemies' heads disappears. Also, Raikov goes on to appear in a minor, optional side quest in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, leading to eventually joining Naked Snake (Big Boss then)'s side. So when Snake's support team refers to Raikov's body as a corpse after the cut scene, it's just wishful thinking; he's still alive.
» Gender: Male / Male
» Orientation: Homosexual. He has a canon relationship with Colonel Volgin that's heavily implied in the game, though Naked Snake is too dense to get it even when his support team does, but more explicit in the Metal Gear Solid Encyclopedia that arrived in the PlayStation store shortly following Metal Gear Solid 4's release. Really, it's outright stated that the Major is Colonel Volgin's lover: http://gaygamer.net/2008/06/metal_gear_solid_gay_gay_gay.html (includes a screenshot of the entry).
Colonel Volgin is canonically bisexual, so why decide that Raikov is homosexual instead of bisexual like his lover? I'm going from an in-game conversation that EVA, a spy in Groznyj Grad (Russian fortress Naked Snake has to sneak into in the game) posing as a meek woman Volgin takes up as a lover-on-the-side, has with Naked Snake about Major Raikov:
EVA: "The security in the west wing where Sokolov is being held is extremely
tight. The only ones who are cleared to enter the west wing are those with
colonel-class authorization. One of those people is Major Raikov. To get
into the west wing, you could disguise yourself as Raikov. First, you'll
have to take Raikov out and steal his uniform. He's in the east wing of
the weapons lab in the center of Groznyj Grad. The east wing is northeast
of your current location. Head northeast."
Snake: "All right. But why?"
EVA: "Huh?"
Snake: "Why do I have to steal Raikov's clothes from him? What about that
scientist outfit..."
EVA: "That's not going to work this time around. Raikov's uniform is a special
type that only he wears. You'll have to get it directly from him. Normally
I'm pretty good at getting men to take off their clothes, but it won't
work on him."
Snake: "?"
EVA: "You, on the other hand, might have a better chance with him."
Snake: "What's that supposed to mean?"
EVA: "What indeed. Anyway, the only way to get Raikov's uniform is to take him
out and steal it yourself. He's somewhere in the east wing."
(codec script guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/928437/43456)
EVA's a charm agent but even says herself that literally charming the pants off Raikov won't work for her. Could it be that, despite the seemingly "open" status of his relationship with Volgin, that Raikov is just very committed to his lover? "You, on the other hand, might have a better chance with him." Maybe not. Also, Raikov is the only soldier in GRU to not be distracted by pornographic magazines. Whereas other soldiers intently study the images of women, Raikov doesn't seem really into studying them. He takes a look at them from a distance, probably just to see what's on the floor, but that's as far as his interest in them goes.
YouTube video of Raikov's in-game reaction to pornographic magazines (Raikov's bit starts at 1:30): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6NiSxxW2YY
In any case, that's my reasoning for making his sexual orientation homosexual rather than bisexual. Should he be accepted into the game, though, I don't see him as refusing to have sex with a woman should it become a necessity or matter of survival. He can do it, but he just wouldn't enjoy it as much.
» Personality: The best way to describe Raikov's personality is probably by showing a conversation that EVA has with Naked Snake:
EVA: "OK, your Raikov disguise is complete. Now they won't stop you no matter
what you do."
Snake: "Even if I punch someone in the face?"
EVA: "Right."
Snake: "Really?"
EVA: "Really."
Snake: "Why?"
EVA: "Raikov's just that kind of guy."
Snake: "..."
EVA: "Once you're disguised as Raikov, you can get into the west wing where
Sokolov is being held. To get to the entrance to the west wing, pass west
through the main wing of the weapons lab and go through the connecting
passageway. You can get into the main wing of the weapons lab from the
southwest side of the second floor. Head for the main wing."
(codec script guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/928437/43456)
He's just that kind of guy.
Really, that's all the game tells you about his personality, but from the portion of the game where you actually have to neutralize him and steal his clothes shows quite a lot about him. EVA isn't lying when she says that Snake can punch someone in the face as Raikov and get away with it. Upon seeing Raikov being just that kind of guy, the other officers, soldiers, and scientists all stop and salute while shaking and keeping their heads down. Punch them disguised as Raikov, and they'll even congratulate you for a job well done or thank you.
YouTube video of this in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qKY2OPleHE
It's apparent that Raikov has the run of Groznyj Grad and can do pretty much anything without reprimand, which is something he seems to take advantage of! This is primarily because of his relationship to Colonel Volgin (a pretty healthily feared dude since he's a sadist and channels 10 million volts of electricity [and I wish I was kidding but I'm not]) as well as being his right-hand man in the facility.
Despite being so feared, Raikov tends to hide in the bathroom stall whenever there's trouble afoot - or sign of an intruder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njuVs6VvZJw). One could label him as cowardly when it comes to dangerous things because of it, but if he finds out that Naked Snake, disguised, is the intruder, then, well, he doesn't hesitate to beat him up all the while calling for help and backup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707nWmDMNqc, around 1:04). And, while there's unfortunately no YouTube video evidence I've found for it, his shooting skills, which he heavily employs upon finding out that you're the intruder, are actually pretty good and kinda put a dent in Snake's health bar. Also, if you throw a live snake at him, unlike the other officers who will seem afraid and try to shoot at the snake from a distance, Raikov gets out his KNIFE, stares that snake down, cuts that bitch, and then eats the ration it produces. So Raikov, despite his tendency to hide from danger, is not inept at the whole fighting bit of being a GRU officer and is most likely rather good at what he does. He's even secretly badass (really, that snake bit is impressive). But he's also probably just lazy and doesn't want to risk the danger. Why put himself in harm's way when he has expendable subordinates?
People who go around punching other people for no good reason probably aren't very nice people. And while Raikov probably has his good moments (most likely with Volgin who states in-game that he knows Ivan better than anyone else), he's not that nice of a person on the inside. However, I have no doubt that he puts up a semi-polite veneer in "public". ...That "public" including the bathroom he likes to hide in (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707nWmDMNqc). Or rather, I consider it semi-polite for Raikov to invite the disguised Snake into the stall before threatening him. Since he's just that kind of guy, Raikov could have easily opened up the door and punched Snake in the face at first knock :D
On the subject of faces, an important aspect of Raikov's personality is his face and how he views it. When Naked Snake neutralizes Raikov and takes his uniform, he completely takes on Raikov's appearance thanks to the incredibly accurate mask of the Major's face that a member of Snake's support team designed. So that's an important fact to keep in mind when seeing Raikov's reaction to seeing his face on another man (Snake in the scientist disguise): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lopZ5rnprdI. When encountered with his face, he says, "How...beautiful..." And it takes him almost twenty seconds to realize after seeing it that this might be a little suspicious! So Raikov obviously thinks of himself as beautiful (which is an odd term considering he's a military man), and I think a nice dose of vanity and self-absorption makes up a more overt part of his personality. He's also not at all observant and, since he's just that kind of guy (which is not a nice guy), he probably doesn't think beyond himself much. Considering other people and how they might feel having Raikov's fist in their face (or crotch) is obviously not a top priority for him. This inattentiveness hopefully explains that embarrassing twenty seconds, especially since it hardly takes any time at all for another officer to deduce that Naked Snake is an intruder with the scientist disguise and mask on (even then, there's a video in which Raikov doesn't even notice the mask at all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLRJkc64aik, 0:37-1:37). So it would be safe to say that, like his lover, Raikov is not a detail-oriented person, especially when it comes to the face. It even suggests that he doesn't consider people as individuals, but rather broad groups like Scientist, Subordinate, Intruder, etc.
To sum up this TL;DR, Raikov is:
- just that kind of guy
- cruel to subordinates
- opportunistic
- not a nice person
- surprisingly decent at fighting
- superficial
- not at all observant. at. all.
- vain/self-absorbed/selfish
- not detail-oriented/inattentive
- not concerned for others
- just that kind of guy
» Appearance: http://gaygamer.net/images/Raidenmgs3.jpg
With blue eyes and extremely pale and shaggy blond hair, Major Ivan Raidenovich Raikov appears to be in a GRU olive officer uniform with the same standard-issue equipment that the other officers receive. However, the most overt different between Raikov and the other officers is his hairstyle, which is rather atypical, and I suspect that if he wasn't the Colonel's lover, he'd be forced to keep it cropped short like the rest of the soldiers. Also, Raikov seems to think his face is beautiful, and in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops a spy report describes Raikov as handsome, so he could be described as good-looking. In gameplay and official "art" images as linked above, Raikov's hair looks rather silvery, but the reason why I choose to describe him as a blond (platinum, probably) is because that's how the hair on Naked Snake's Raikov mask looks in the Face Camo screen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLRJkc64aik, 0:40). The Face Camo screen is actually an excellent look at what Raikov's face is supposed to look like without Groznyj Grad's ambient light to consider. Physically, Raikov is built like a soldier and seems to be around Naked Snake's height, which is approximately 6'2"ish. That, and Naked Snake can wear his uniform with ease without complaining about the fit, which is different than in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty where Raiden, and the rest of his support team, remark that the enemy uniform he has to disguise himself in is ill-fitted.
SAMPLES
» "amatomnes" Entry: [The voice on the audio feed is abrupt and demanding.]
HQ? Respond immediately, HQ! Major Raikov here. I've been forcibly relocated by an unknown party to an unfamiliar area - possibly enemy territory. Commence alert formation and send out a search party at once.
Respond, HQ, and keep in touch.
[There is a pause in the feed, and then the voice begins again in a suggestive afterthought.]
And to anyone else who may be listening, know that I am a very important military officer and the right-hand man of Colonel Yevgheny Borisovich Volgin - Thunderbolt to the Western world. He is a powerful man in both influence and strength, and I assure you that he is quite displeased at my absence.
Any assistance out of here will be handsomely rewarded.
[There is the sound of the audio device being handled as he figures out how to stop recording; the transmission ends a few seconds later.]
» "amatomneslogs" Entry: Upon waking up, the first thing that Ivan Raidenovich Raikov noticed was not that he was naked, nor that he was in an unfamiliar place, but that he was alone. And even when he gradually picked up on the rest of details, that was still the most disconcerting one.
He was one of the beautiful people, so by all means he should have been with someone. The only acceptable places to be naked and alone for a man his looks and standing in were his quarters or the Colonel's - and even then, he wouldn't have been alone for long. No, Yevgheny Borisovich Volgin took care of him. But it didn't feel like he had taken care of him at the moment. One of the things about being the lover to a man who carried a charge of 10 million volts was that electroplay was a given almost every time, and that left a dull, drained sensation. He felt calm and satiated naked on a strange bed but not like he had spent the night with the Colonel. Since this was neither his nor Yevgheny's quarters, and he had no recollection of going to bed with a fellow officer, he shouldn't have been alone.
Even if he had been stolen away by that - or another - CIA dog again, the unfamiliar bed and room was too nice for a detainee. It was too nice for even a high-ranking officer, even, much less anywhere he knew within Soviet borders. In a world of standard, unifying equipment and goods, his surroundings were definitely foreign. So he was rather baffled.
Where was he and why? More importantly, could he get out and back to the familiar structure of Groznyj Grad and his Zhenya? Upon seeing his uniform folded neatly at the foot of the bed (who would be so careful with the enemy's belongings?), he leaned over, carelessly rifling through them and undoing the careful neatness in search of one vital object: his radio. However, a throughout search of the room yielded no result. There was his standard officer-issue lighter, a few saved cigarettes, and a knife, but no radio.
"Well, if this situation isn't a whore..." he muttered, still nude and sitting at the side of the bed. Raikov contemplated smoking in hopes of taking off the edge and drawing someone into the room, but he figured he might as well be dressed first. He slipped into his thong, undershirt, dress shirt, and jodhpurs with practiced ease; for his tie he sought out the aid of a vanity mirror on the wall. It wasn't as if he couldn't tie it blind, but he wanted his reflection to confirm that yes, his hair was perfect as always; yes, he did look strapping in his uniform; yes, he-
-had a leather collar around his neck?
He tugged at it experimentally, but for now, it was the least of his concerns. Ending up situating it comfortably above the knot of his tie, he left the mirror disturbed at the discovery. What all happened to him, and why couldn't he remember anything of it? He tugged on his boots, slipped on his gloves, and with the final addition of his officer's cap nestled on his head, he felt a bit better at the moment and more ready to deal with whatever may come. After all, there were worse situations to be in - he should know; he'd helped create many of them.
"Yevgheny," he sighed, feeling the Colonel's mental absence unnerving. But he wouldn't admit that he missed him, not so soon, no. He was a military man now and had been for a decent amount of years. He wouldn't allow himself the romantic sentimentality of his youth.
Frustrated, he strode to the closed door, wrapped his hand around the knob, twisted it, and pushed. He fully anticipated resistance, for it to be locked, to engage in a battle of kinetics against the locking mechanism, punch it a bit maybe, and swear threateningly to whomever might be on the other side, no doubt waiting for him to do all of this. But, surprise of surprises, this didn't happen. Instead, it opened.
"Huh."
He shrugged, pleased with his excellent doorknob-turning skills, and crossed the threshold.