Katya Volkov's earliest memories were in an orphanage, in a small village in Russia where she would get a small piece of stale bread and a small bowl with tomato soup. She, unlike most of her fellow orphans, wasn't afraid of the cruel staff that looked after them, she was a fairly quiet child so she rarely would pose an issue for them. During one of the forced church ceremonies, Katya met an old woman who lived by herself known in the village for being the “мудрая старая женщина” known for her knowledge and wits, the old lady began to take a liking to the quiet girl. At the age of 6, she began to spend most of her free time outside of the orphanage, where the old woman taught her how to play “дурак” or otherwise known as Durak a russian card game involving a deck of 36 cards involving attacking and defending in which the winner is the player with no cards remaining in their hand. And the player with the most cards remaining in their deck is named “the fool” and loses the game. Katya throughout the years learnt how to strategize and come up with tactics on the spot. How to think ahead in the moment, no matter the pressure. This would prove extremely useful in her future line of work. She kept playing and playing getting better and better and a few years later it became very popular amongst the townspeople but no matter how hard they tried few could come close to beating Katya, except for the old lady, of course. 




During this time, there was one other that began to worm their way into Katya’s heart. Kolya Medved, a young boy from the same orphanage as her. She didn’t know him very well, she also didn’t think fondly of him, thinking him to be brutelike and dense. But he began to work for the old lady in a sense, doing her more physically demanding tasks such as getting firewood mostly. Whereas Katya would help her cook and clean occasionally. This made the two talk a little, where Katya’s initial impressions were further clarified. He was a rather stupid boy, but the part she had failed to analyse about him is the amount of heart he carries. The type to charge at his problems head first without stopping to think about the consequences. The two of them were direct opposites. But they became pretty good friends quickly. Katya serving as his reins in a sense, but she’d rarely bother from stopping him from fighting the other boys knowing that he enjoys it, of course she had tried teaching him “дурак” but he gave up quickly not understanding the rules and finding it too boring. However for Katya she simply appreciated that Kolya attempted to learn it simply because she asked him to. For her 13th birthday Kolya and the old lady created a makeshift dartboard and darts. Katya then would spend most of her free time mastering throwing darts and also combining the planning and throwing aspect to always hit her target.

A few years passed, Katya and Kolya were now 15 and 16 respectively, him being a year older than her. Both were very close to the old lady and had learnt a lot about her, including her old profession, an FSB agent that served for her country over 20 years. Making a lot of enemies throughout her time. On one normal seeming night, Katya and Kolya were out buying the old lady’s groceries, when they returned they heard two male voices inside. Katya had planned to wait, knowing the lady’s past. But Kolya entered without thinking, his heart racing. All Katya could do was sigh and plan to help him if needed, so she went around to an open back window and climbed into one of the bedrooms to enter from the other way. They found the old lady with blood running down her throat. The two men began to talk to Kolya as Katya snuck into the kitchen, slowly drawing a small kitchen knife as she began to sneak into the living room where the guests awaited. She saw that both had their backs turned, one closer to her and one in her friend’s face. She crept closer and closer until she made one wrong step, the house filling with the sound of a floorboard creek. The man she was creeping toward began to turn, drawing his pistol as he did, it took only a second for her to estimate her odds if she rushed at him. It was most likely he would shoot before she could reach him. And so she flipped her knife, catching it via the blade, drew her arm back as he began to raise his gun. She tossed the knife with as much force as she could muster, it spinning through the air and landing on its mark. Between the man's eyes. She had thrown knives before, but with a kitchen knife most of what had just occurred was luck. As soon as the man dropped Kolya tackled the other man. A quick brawl occurred resulting in them wrestling for the man's gun, multiple gunshots being fired during which. But ultimately Kolya was able to wrestle the pistol to the man’s chin, forcefully pulling the trigger, blood splattering on his face.

 Katya picked up the pistol from the man she had killed, searching his pockets to find a wallet, it had quite a bit of money. Though most of it was dollars, she also found an id and some kind of international mercenary card. She decided to pocket the wallet before looking over at her friend, his breathing was erratic. Clearly his adrenaline was on the come down and he was thinking about what had happened in a matter of 30 seconds or so. However Katya’s mind was clear, she did not know why but she felt little to no remorse for what she did. To her it was simply kill or be killed and anyways they had killed their mother figure in cold blood. Those who fight by the sword die by it.. Right? Either way all she knew was that they were both alive and that was what mattered. She walked over, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder before telling him that she was going to leave the village to learn more about these people. She did not know when she decided that she would do this, but only that she had. She slid the 1911 handgun between her jeans, hidden via her jacket. Her friend looked up to her, saying the words to her that she had never really heard. He said, “You know, that’s a dumb idea.. But.. You’re my friend, so I’ll stand with you till the end.” And so he had practically told her that he was going with her. And she did not argue. Simply just smiled. After burying and thanking their savior and motherly figure. They gathered what they would need and ventured out of their village.




Throughout the course of a year they would travel throughout Russia. Becoming practically con artists in their own rights. Kolya would place more physical bets that he knew he could win and if he couldn’t he would use own techniques to ensure his own victory. Meanwhile Katya used her wits to learn how to play things like poker and would use her brain to ensure that she always won. This would be how they made their money to survive. But they never stayed in one place for a month at most. Usually only around a week they would stay in one area. As for the people that realised they had been conned out of their money, well that’s why they kept the pistols. Usually they only used them for intimidation but a few times they had to use them and only killed when threatened. Making Katya realise that whilst she didn’t really regret pulling the trigger, her aim needed practice. Towards the end of a year of being these con artists they began to get a bit of a name of “Волк и медведь” meaning the wolf and the bear. Reminiscent of the meanings of their respective surnames.



Eventually this caught the attention of the same mercenaries that killed their old lady. It didn’t take them long to match them to the people at the scene that killed two of their own. Both Katya and Kolya would be outnumbered and slapped in handcuffs. Given an ultimatum, either work for the mercenary business as grunts, similar to those that they had killed, practically replacing them. Or, being locked up for 20+ years for all of the crimes they had committed. Including 1st degree murder. They both picked the obvious option and began a year of gruelling training. Unlike the normal training program which was 4 years for people in their mid 20’s which was the normal age people would sign up. The two youngest members did that training in a year, with little rest. However, they did it. And so they began respective mercenary work for a year where they would travel the world to either take a person dead or alive, sometimes would vary or sometimes they’d have the choice of either.
The COVID-19 virus didn’t really affect her work too much. At least not the initial variants, so for the next two years she continued to do mercenary work as per usual. 



For her unknowingly last deployment as a mercenary, she was sent to take a rich political figure alive in Norway along with 10 other associates. One of these being her close and best friend Kolya And the country was locked down as AVM-FLA-19 began to worsen. Either way they began the operation, however it went horribly wrong. Overall throughout the ambush and shooting, six of the mercs were killed. And Katya was shot in the leg and captured. For 11 hours she underwent gruesome and extreme torture, in which she simply kept laughing and insulting them. Wondering in her mind whether she had gone insane, due to the constant insults, they pinned her and painfully sliced out her tongue. All she could do was sit there, the pain keeping her awake throughout it all. With no idea who the men that tortured her were, only that they wanted to know who she was and who hired her. The second was information she herself did not even obtain. Simply buying time for her own execution in case of possible rescue. And her wish came true. Kolya and one other merc named Gregor that had the heart to attempt a suicide mission to rescue one of their other. Katya sat there, a smile on her face with blood running down her face. Her vision blurred, gunshots serving as the lullaby to her rescue. Eventually they breached the door of the room she was in. Gregor enters first, being shot in the throat by her torturer. Soon followed by Kolya with a fury and rage displayed upon his face, he shot the man in stomach twice, approaching him, looking at Katya only once and then at the tools on the table meant for her torture. He picked up a hand drill, kicking the man in the jaw before screaming, “Ты, ублюдок, я тебя сейчас выебу!” Driving the hand drill through the man's right eye, drilling it into his head. Once he was done with his handiwork, he released the restraints on Katya, before helping her up. Whilst walking away, the two of them stopped to comfort Gregor who was bleeding out on the ground. Neither of the two knew much about medicine and so could only watch. His last words being “Сожгите это место дотла для меня, друзья.”
And so they did, before leaving they poured gasoline throughout the building, tossing a match, they then laid 50m away watching the building rise in flames. Something about the open flames, it had a power that made them barely able to tear their eyes away. Katya did not know the other mercenary very well, but she was thankful. Her friend however, seemed a bit more messed up but overall thankful she was alive. They heard sirens but did not have the energy to move. And upon arriving people wearing uniforms and ambulances, fire trucks.

Katya passed out shortly after, waking up in a hospital bed. During about a month of recovery she began to learn more about the plikt organisation along with her friend. They both realized that they had nowhere or nothing to do anymore. And so after Katya had recovered a little, and they both signed up to be cadets for Plikt, or that's what she wish she could say happened, they argued, him not wanting to throw away his freedom and so they went seperate ways, a sting of pain in Katya's heart. A year passed of doing various tasks within Plikt, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant despite her young age her experience and maturity was clear. She mostly did medical education and studied American Sign Language, along with learning some basic Norwegian.



However it was around this time that AVM-FLA-21NS began to spread creating a lockdown on the country that nobody could leave. She would work within Plikt to keep refugees safe and to create the safe haven within Nyheim’s city walls that she was ordered to create.

Written by: @ImUnii
Graphics by: @ItsJet