Chapter 19

November 26, 2022

Pulkovo International Airport, Russian Federation

It was another cold night when the four Romanov sisters arrived back in Russia. From among the dozens of airplanes flying around to land, one private jet began its descent back to earth with lights flashing against the gloom. The jet touched down onto the asphalt. The engines toned down while the jet taxied to a hangar with a few armored patrol vans and black SUVs nearby. The four sisters could only watch with wistful gazes at the land. Even their impressions of Russia had changed. It felt familiar, but the sense of safety and acceptance they had earlier had eroded.

Olga again felt like a stranger at an old home. It did not truly seem like home ever since the fall of the Tsardom over a century ago. She did look forward to a few things, however. She would no longer have to sleep and aimlessly wander around in a hotel thanks to the restoration and renovation of the Alexander Palace. The thought of Anton also comforted her more than what protections or privileges that Putin gave. Perhaps the old saying was true: home is where the heart is.

Sitting beside Olga was Maria. Ever since Maria confessed her feelings for Ivan, she and her oldest sister grew a bit closer through something in common. They both had prospective loves. Everything about the situation felt ironic the more they thought about it. Olga had learned that Ivan was a descendant of the guard who gave Maria a birthday cake- her last birthday cake. However, what did ignite her anger was also learning that Ivan had tasered Maria. How dare he!

If not for Maria persuading Olga that Ivan had been surprised (as any casual person would be), Olga would have committed to slapping the laboratory guard around quite a bit. Eventually, Olga grudgingly accepted the explanation, trusting that Ivan was a good man for Maria. They held each other for a few minutes as the pilot gave a brief announcement.

"Welcome home to Russia. Tonight is colder with a temperature of minus five degrees Celsius, so wear your jackets."

"Olenka?"

"Yes, Tatya?" Olga asked, turning around to look at Tatiana.

"We should wear our thicker jackets since it is cold."

"Of course, has Nastya worn hers yet?"

"She surprisingly did so before all of us."

Anastasia shrugged, but she kept quiet. She glanced out of the window at the landing crew preparing a mobile staircase on the guard-flanked red carpet. She could also see the Russian president, her fellow Romanov relatives, and two men in thick jackets and sweatpants.

"Are you okay, little sis?" Maria asked, frowning.

Her youngest sister yawned. "Yeah, I'm just exhausted..."

The airplane cabin lights turned on, reminding them that it was time to return home... Or to whatever remained of it. The four sisters put on their jackets before taking their backpacks. They stepped out of the plane onto the staircase, seeing Putin, their Russian relatives, and two men waiting on the carpet.

Olga waved at Anton, who gave an enthusiastic wave while grinning. Maria, too, waved with much enthusiasm upon seeing Ivan. The four sisters made their way down the carpet, but Olga practically ran towards Anton, falling into his embrace. They hugged under the cold, gloomy skies. Never again would they want to be apart for a while.

"I missed you, Olga."

"I missed you too, Anton..."

Their eyes met again, reuniting with Romanov blue meeting Russian blue. Olga then felt Anton put his hand with a gentle contact to her chin, lifting her head up. She knew she wanted this, closing her eyes for what would come next. Their heads closed the gap, and they held each other as their lips merged in warmth in defiance against the cold.

But their moment was interrupted by Putin coughing and clearing his throat. Olga and Anton reluctantly broke their rather passionate kiss, noticing that Putin was frowning at them. Even their Romanov relatives seemed unimpressed or shocked. Something felt wrong in the situation... Really wrong.

"Russia welcomes you, its favored princesses of Romanov, back home. The setbacks in Ukraine were unexpected, but I as head of the Russian state will guarantee your safety especially during this civil unrest..."

Even Putin had lost his confident air around himself. Even the modern Romanovs noticed, and a few of them shifted on their legs uneasily...

Olga and Tatiana frowned. Maria and Ivan glanced at each other, wondering what was going on. If the German girl from Oberammergau had a true vision, then Putin would soon lose favor for them. So it had all been a ruse. She scowled at Putin.

"You will all be taken to your former residence which has been repossessed by all Romanov descendants. However, after extensive discussion with my advisors, your privileges in your propaganda roles are indefinitely revoked until further notice."

Olga clenched her fists. "What? Now hold up-"

"Olenka. We will figure this out later, but not now," Tatiana whispered, holding her arm.

For a brief moment, Olga wanted to retort, but she realized that it would be better to not agitate the President of Russia. She glanced at Tatiana, who shook her head.

Putin gestured for the guards to take them into the SUVs along with Anton and Ivan. He had to make an exception for the "boyfriends" of Olga and Maria to avoid pissing them off and dealing with more problems. Certainly the Russian President had enough of this Ukraine fiasco and its aftermath. Now his popularity polls had dropped by a third. Even some of the monarchists and liberals had begun protesting and rioting recently. Even the Patriarchate of Moscow had expressed doubts about OTMA. Had their political plan been worth it? Not as much as they had hoped.

Now the trickiest decision to make was what to do with the "princesses"... There would be the task of shifting the blame from himself to the four risen women to save his reputation. At the same time, there was the risk of public outrage and rebellion if his scapegoating was not done right. The plans he had to make his comeback would be difficult indeed....

The SUVs drove off within minutes, leaving the now troubled Russian president. He motioned for his guards to escort the rest of the Romanovs to their vehicles. Now he would have to speak with Dugin and the Patriarchate of Moscow again, and he lost his feigned smile as the Romanov descendants were driven further away. Another damn mess to clean up.

(Line Break)

The ride to their now restored and returned residence was less than a half hour. It would have been a comfortable ride... Except that it was not. The air was tense between the sisters and their escorts. Instead of smiling or nodding at their attempts for small talk, they ignored whatever remarks they made. Eventually the four sisters relented.

"This feels like 1917 again... I have a feeling that something very terrible will happen soon to us," Olga whispered.

"I know what you mean, but we are definitely not alone this time," Tatiana said, holding her sister closer.

To the surprise of the older sisters, their two younger sisters remained quiet. The announcement by Putin had shocked all of them. They knew that the current Russian state would eventually turn on them, but it had begun quicker than expected...

They all watched the battered buildings and debris strewn streets of Petersburg passing by, giving way to the near pristine forests of spruce and oak trees along the road. It was dark and gloomy with only the car lights piercing the night. Yet despite their situation, they knew an old saying from their scripture readings:

The light would never be extinguished. Yes, Putin would be formidable as an adversary, but they knew that their side would prevail. Even their cousin Elisabeth had reassured them that she would aid them when necessary. For earthly despots were nothing before Almighty God.

To not just have faith, but to live righteously would be their highest priorities. But she had her doubts.

Anton had told her in the previous Skype meeting that plenty of Russians including his parents had lost their approval for her and her sisters. It had been saddening to hear about Russia starting to reject them once again. But it was no surprise... Russia had always been cruel to its people regardless of whatever regime stood. They should have known better than to trust Putin when they rose. No, he did not truly care for them. They were only pawns.

Olga closed her eyes, waiting until they returned to the familiar residence. The realizations had all rang true, and she felt guilty. She knew they could not help trusting the madman, but they had been confused and lost at first. They had all been naive again. Putin had used them and they had fallen into his traps! The guilt already began to gnaw, and the daunting scale of her situation hit her all at once.

She felt helpless- anxious again. She felt her heart beat faster and felt clammy. Neither did she know she was hyperventilating until she felt her sister shake her shoulder a bit.

"Olenka..."

Olga flinched, and Tatiana swiftly took off her hand as if burnt by a stove. She had not seen her sister so disturbed ever since her breakdown after watching a soldier die in agony.

"Olenka, please be calm. For all of us."

Olga looked at her sister again, remembering something. No, she was only overthinking the situation again. Overthinking would never help them accomplish their responsibility. As she felt her sister stroke her back, she felt calmer. It brought back brief, cozy images of family moments long gone... Her late mother had rubbed her back after she had a nervous breakdown. Her mother had even prayed for her wellbeing.

She truly needed to let go of her guilt and fears to face the daunting challenge ahead, or else those two would erode her sanity and resolve away. She thought back again to her old life and new life. Yes, she had done wrong. However, perfection was not the aim. It was about the heart. To learn and try again was better.

"We can pray tonight, even talk to Cousin Ella if that's okay."

Olga could only nod.

Their escorted SUVs then slowed down as they pulled into the driveway by the Alexander Palace. Guards and armored trucks were resting around the Alexander Palace. Only this time, their Honor Guards and some loyal soldiers would guard them well.

The commander of the Honor Guards approached the now stopped vehicles and opened the doors for the Romanovs, Ivan, and Anton to get out. Only then did Olga realize she was tired, glancing back at a yawning Anastasia. Maria seemed tired as well, rubbing her eyes.

"Welcome home, all of you. You four look like you all need a good rest tonight."

"Thank you, Commander Pavel."

The Commander nodded before gesturing for the other guards to lead the Romanovs in... Only then did Olga notice that Anton and Ivan were staying behind. She stopped in her path and turned around to approach her boyfriend to the amusement of the guards.

"Hey, make sure to keep in touch with us."

"I will, baby."

They shared a brief kiss before a brief reminder by the Commander told them it was time to go home. Anton let Olga go, and he did not turn away until she could no longer be seen from outside. Only then did he realize how cold it was.

"They'll be fine, old buddy."

"Yeah, now I have to explain this to my parents in two days."

"I know, Anton, but how about you hang out at my place tonight? We can speak with them by video calls again if that helps. Wouldn't mind seeing Maria."

"Ah, so you do like her."

Anton then smirked, earning him a playful elbow by Ivan. The two close friends laughed, walking together to a derelict motorcycle. Anton placed on his helmet as he got on his vehicle, glancing back at Ivan.

"Let's head back. No time to waste."

"Yeah, yeah, let me try getting this stupid helmet on."

"Ah, just loosen those pesky straps first."

"Thanks. I always forget that."

Not long afterward, Ivan and Anton sped off into the night. Their red motorcycle light waned into the distance before disappearing behind a tree-covered turn. Anton briefly glanced at Ivan. There was one thing he wondered about if Russia would ever turn on those unfortunate yet special four sisters.

"Hey, Ivan, do you agree with Putin or not?"

"I only tolerate him to get by... I think Russia needs better."

"Same thing here."

(Line Break)

The Kremlin, Moscow

"Mister Dugin... Putin expects you by video call."

"Fine. Tell him I will be there promptly."

Alexander Dugin scowled as he crushed and mangled a newspaper article before tossing it aside. Needless to say, the very trusted advisor to Putin had not been satisfied at all. The failures and setbacks had not been anticipated. Now their regime was in danger of public rebellion and possibly a second Russian Civil War. Neither did the military or economy seem well enough. He thought that the resurrection would play into their hands very well, and that Russia was favored by God! Now he knew better. The risen women were simply unhelpful and had even sympathized with the West. They were demons in disguise? Sometimes demons assumed human forms to deceive the righteous. Righteous Russians.

It seemed quite possible.

Dugin slammed his fists on his desk and swept aside more papers onto the floor. "Blyat!"

He got off his cushioned office chair before heading outside his study room. So this would be it. If the "princesses" were not who they claimed to be, they were a liability to the interests of Orthodox Russia. If need be, he would clean the house. Russia must prevail as the true nation against the wicked forces!

Now he would have to advise Putin on further execution of action. They had been hesitating, and now the Russian state needed to compensate for its mistakes. They had been all fools, played by frauds of the devil. Now was the time to bring up his backup plan in case of such a situation.

Proposed Emergency Plan 98Z. Operation Okhrana.