1916-October-19-20
With the uniforms secured, we began moving through the many paths in the area, which were poorly lit, as not all the gas lamps were on. Only a few were lit, which made movement easier. I had already changed into a Russian uniform, hiding my pistols inside my coat as Ferdinand and I moved among the patrols.
The guards were either talking among themselves or half-asleep on duty, which made ambushing them much easier.
''Hey… did you see what happened in those bushes over there'' Ferdinand said, pointing toward a patch of neglected shrubs.
''What is it'' one of the guards asked, yawning.
''Looks like some animal got in there'' Ferdinand continued.
''And what do you want us to do about it… we are not going to deal with that now…'' the guard replied, annoyed, as he approached, followed by his companion who illuminated the area with a hand lamp.
At that moment, I pulled my pistol from my coat, pressed it against his head, and fired. The sound was minimal, almost quieter than the mechanism itself, as the small round pierced his skull. Ferdinand did the same with the other.
We eliminated them quickly and silently, pushing their bodies into the bushes and covering them with the overgrown vegetation.
Almost immediately, our men appeared and stripped them of their uniforms, avoiding the caps stained with blood. Minor stains on the clothing would not stand out in the darkness.
There were few patrols. Most guards were stationed at fixed points. Only two patrols moved continuously, making them priority targets. Replacing them was essential to move freely.
''Hey, you… what are you doing away from your posts? Just because you are new on this shift does not mean you can do whatever you want'' said one of three officers approaching, noticing our men in freshly taken uniforms.
''We found something…'' I said in broken Russian, pointing toward where we had left the bodies.
''What is it'' the officer asked as he stepped closer.
''Better if you see it yourself'' Ferdinand said, pointing to the same spot.
The three approached and saw the bodies.
''We have an intruder, we must—'' the officer began, but the four of us opened fire immediately, shooting them in the head.
''Damn… they got blood everywhere… clean this fast. If another patrol comes, we will not be able to repeat this… Ferdinand, take the officer's uniform before it gets worse'' I whispered.
Ferdinand quickly changed into the officer's uniform, which was more refined, suggesting recent changes in the command structure.
With that, we began approaching the fixed guard positions.
When Ferdinand, Friedrich, and I approached a group guarding the Chinese Village, an oriental-style complex within the grounds, the guards did not seem very alert. There were barely three men, walking without much interest, but they straightened when they saw us, saluting Ferdinand as if he were their superior.
''What is that over there'' Ferdinand said, pointing toward the most isolated area he could see.
''Is there a problem?'' one of the guards asked.
''Look… does that seem right to you'' Ferdinand said, walking toward the spot.
As the three men moved closer, Friedrich and I drew our pistols from under our coats and fired, blowing their heads apart before they could react. We hid the bodies quickly.
We continued like that for some time, ambushing small guard groups around the Catherine Palace, until each of our men had a guard uniform and could pass as part of the security force.
Once the mobile patrols were eliminated and their bodies hidden in nearby abandoned buildings, we began advancing, avoiding areas where the guard presence was too dense, moving slowly toward our objective.
We finally had the Alexander Palace in sight, but the surrounding areas were heavily guarded. These were not mobile patrols, but fixed guards standing in place, watching the surroundings.
So we passed carefully, drawing as little attention as possible. Many were yawning or leaning against nearby structures, exhausted from night duty.
We managed to slip through with Ferdinand and Friedrich until we reached the entrance of the Alexander Palace. There were four guards, two at each visible access point, close enough to alert each other if something went wrong.
''Stay confident… Ferdinand, act as usual… tell them you are replacing two guards inside the palace. If this works, we are in… the rest of you prepare the exit route, get a truck or something from the servants' area, there are fewer guards there, and if they get close, you can take them out'' I whispered.
Ferdinand nodded and adjusted his uniform, hiding the few bloodstains, then walked toward the entrance with steady steps, imitating the officer he had replaced.
''Halt'' one of the guards said, his eyes tired.
''These two are here to replace guards inside… looks like they did something they should not have, and someone wants to speak with them'' Ferdinand replied calmly.
The guard looked at him with some hostility and clicked his tongue.
''Your problem… just do not come crying if your men want you dead later'' he said, stepping aside.
Ferdinand opened the door, and we entered the palace with him leading.
Inside, we quickly encountered several guards. They noticed us immediately, and Ferdinand stopped in the middle of the hall, signaling for them to approach.
Friedrich and I used that moment to move behind them, drawing our pistols and firing rapidly. The only sound was the mechanical click of the weapons, the product of finely crafted suppressors designed to eliminate noise.
The five guards dropped like sacks of sand, and we made sure to finish them with an extra shot to the head as we reloaded.
Friedrich stayed behind, covering the entrance, while Ferdinand opened doors to other unguarded rooms. Following the layout we had memorized, we moved toward where the Tsar's reception room should have been.
Inside, we found a large room filled with leisure objects, but completely empty, so we pushed deeper into the inner chambers.
We entered the first large bedroom and found two figures sleeping together.
''We need to cover their mouths… if they scream, we are done'' I said, looking at Ferdinand.
We approached Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, both asleep, unaware of everything that had happened around them.
We exchanged a glance and acted.
I placed my hand over the Tsar's mouth while Ferdinand did the same with the Tsarina. Both woke abruptly.
''Shhh…'' I said, applying pressure as the Tsar tried to resist.
''We are here to get you out'' Ferdinand said.
Almost immediately, they began to calm down, and when they stopped resisting, we removed our hands.
''God… who do you serve? This place is full of guards loyal to those usurpers… how did you get in here'' the Tsar said, running a hand over his mouth.
''The only thing that matters is that you gather your family and prepare to leave'' I said, walking toward the door.
''I knew it… God always has a plan… always…'' the Tsarina said, clasping her hands to pray.
''My son is ill… he cannot—'' the Tsar began.
''Then are we wasting time? Because of your son's hemophilia? Take what you need and move… I am risking my life and the lives of my men for this'' I said, clenching my teeth.
''Come on… there is no time, every second counts'' Ferdinand added.
''Do not turn on any lights… do not look for clothes… just gather everyone and we leave'' I said as I stepped into the hallway.
The parents quickly began waking their daughters and their son.
''Move… I said no clothes'' I said when I saw the Tsarina trying to dress her daughters as they attempted to cover themselves.
''But… they cannot go out like this…'' the Tsarina hesitated.
''It is that or a bullet to the head… there is no time'' I replied, pointing toward the exit.
The Tsar whispered something to her, and they followed us in their nightclothes.
''There are bodies here'' I said to the group following us. The Tsar nodded while the Tsarina covered the eyes of her youngest daughter.
''Something is happening outside'' Friedrich said in German.
''Germans…? Has my cousin sent you'' the Tsar asked, but I ignored him.
''Have we been discovered'' I asked, drawing my pistol.
''No… but vehicles arrived'' Friedrich replied.
''Ferdinand, go'' I said.
Ferdinand stepped outside, and we could see that the guards at the entrance, along with another group inside, were arguing with our men after spotting two trucks.
''We were told to move furniture…'' one of my men said.
''No one has informed us of anything'' one of the guards replied.
''But we need to remove furniture'' another of my men insisted, preventing the guards from leaving to alert nearby units.
As soon as they saw us, my men drew their pistols and opened fire, giving the guards no time to react. They dropped quickly, though a few managed to groan.
''Move, no time to waste'' I said as I entered the palace again, signaling the Tsar to move.
I grabbed the Tsarina's hand lamp and threw it to the ground. The fire spread quickly.
As we noticed figures approaching to investigate, we loaded the imperial Russian family into the back of a truck while firing at the guards closing in.
They panicked as they saw some of their own fall, unable to tell where the shots were coming from.
Once everyone was aboard the two trucks, I climbed into the driver's seat and accelerated, heading toward the exit in the direction of the city, aiming for the southern gate.
We left the Alexander Palace behind us in flames, watching as many ran toward the fire, ignoring our escape.
At the southern exit, the guards had abandoned their posts to try to contain the blaze. I rammed the front of the truck into the closed gate, tearing it from its hinges, the impact shaking my entire body.
But we made it through.
I stopped for a moment to make sure the truck carrying Nicholas II was following, then kept driving toward the area we had identified beforehand, where security presence should be lower.
As I drove through the streets, I saw men pouring out of their houses and rushing toward the palace, likely day-shift guards, which allowed us to slip through using the chaos.
We kept moving until we finally left the city, driving south at full speed, leaving everything behind.
After several kilometers, we stopped in a small village, entered one of the houses, and took clothes from the local peasants. We needed to disguise the imperial family as civilians if we wanted to get them out.
We also took some food.
The adrenaline kept me completely alert. We drove for hours until the truck ran out of fuel, forcing us to stop, hide the vehicles in a nearby forest, and change clothes.
We forced the Tsar and his family to dress like peasants
We had to keep moving before what had happened was fully confirmed.
If we were lucky… everyone who knew what had happened was already dead, and attention would remain on the fire, assuming the Tsar and his family had perished in it.
But someone must have survived the gunfire, so I was not counting on that. We simply kept moving.
As we walked, we found carts transporting food. We blocked their path and shot the drivers in the head.
We loaded the imperial family onto the horse-drawn cart, trying to leave Russian territory as quickly as possible, before security tightened to the point where escape would no longer be possible.
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