| Nikolai Demichev | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Name | Nikolai Demichev |
| Age | 29 (During initial meeting with Renko), 84 (When Renko returns to 2010) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Status | Alive or Deceased (Depending on Renko's actions) |
| Location | Katorga-12 |
Dr. Nikolai Demichev is one of the former head scientists of the former research station Katorga-12, and in some timelines, Chancellor of a global Soviet government that came to power as a result of research into E99 performed on the island in the 1950s. Demichev was a man of great political influence during the early days of Katorga-12's existence, with his connections in Moscow driving much of the recruitment and funding into his and Dr. Viktor Barisov's work. However, in the original timeline, Demichev was killed in a massive fire that engulfed the Worker's District in October 1955, robbing the facility of his influence, and ultimately leading to its failure and abandonment.
Demichev Vanishing[]
In the new timeline, created when Nathaniel Renko saved him in 1955, Demichev's influence, both on Katorga-12 and in Moscow continued to grow. The increased flow of men and materials to the island allowed Barisov to create the TMD, a device that utilized E99 to manipulate time and gravity with ease. Seeing an opportunity to increase his own power greatly, Demichev demanded Barisov turn over the device for use in his own research, only to face repeated rebuttals from his partner. Finally in November of the same year, forces loyal to Demichev seized Katorga-12 and executed all those scientists branded "traitors" for refusing to support him. He personally shot Barisov and covered it up as a "lab accident."
Although he now exercised complete control over the facility, Demichev had failed to gain access to the TMD, which remained secure in a vault buried beneath Barisov's own labs. Realizing that Moscow still wanted results and that his own power would decline without them, Demichev switched his obsession to the Singularity, pushing forward with its construction and eventually bringing it online. The Singularity was initially a success, until months after its activation, when a cataclysmic explosion caused by Renko using the E99 Bomb destroyed the tower and bathed the island in E99 radiation. Those not immediately killed in the explosion or mutated into horrific "zeks" fled the island, forcing its closure and erasure from public knowledge.
Yet Demichev had already capitalized on the work performed at Katorga-12, spear-heading the mass-production and adoption of E99 products in every facet of the Soviet economy, from home appliances to military weapons. Insisting that the USSR possessed a technological and military edge that it must use aggressively, Demichev convinced Premier Khrushchev to launch an attack on NATO and the United States. A single E99 bomb was dropped on Washington D.C., devastating the entire Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Meanwhile, simultaneous attacks on Europe, the Middle East, and Asia secured Soviet dominance of the globe. With his power and influence growing astronomically, Demichev lead a successful coup to seize control of the new world government and declare himself Chancellor for life.
Return to the Past[]
While Katorga-12 had been abandoned for over 50 years, the Soviet government still kept a close eye on it, fearful that another explosion could occur, or that the truth of what happened on the island might be discovered by the public. So when radio signals from Renko and fellow Spartan team member James Devlin are heard on the island, Spetnaz soldiers are quickly dispatched to capture or execute them. Demichev himself travels to the island to confront the men, only to be shocked at the youth of Renko after first encountering him 50 years before and seeing both men wearing American uniforms.
Concluding that the men have found the TMD, Demichev demands it be handed over, before personally shooting Devlin due to being annoyed with his quoting of the Geneva Conventions (which Demichev had annulled), and his demand to speak to the American Embassy. Before he can question Renko further, he and his soldiers are distracted by Kathryn, a MIR-12 operative sent to the island to recruit Renko because of his part in Demichev's removal, which was revealed in the Katorga-12 journal.
Changing the Past[]
Demichev's past would change again after Renko retrieved the TMD from Barisov's vault, and then traveled through a rift to 1955. He was non-fatally wounded by the American soldier before he could shoot Barisov. Currently, either due to Demichev's survival, or to the time distortions that plague the island as a result of the Singularity, Demichev continues to remain Chancellor, and his soldiers continue to hunt Kathryn and Renko as they work to restore the proper timeline. This culminates in a final confrontation in the Singularity tower, after Renko attempts to restore the timeline by detonating an E99 bomb there in 1955. Demichev then reveals that it was the bomb's explosion in 1955 that caused the disaster, and that he had the tower rebuilt. Recognizing the power that Renko possesses via the TMD, Demichev offers him the chance to serve him.
Needs of the Few[]
If Renko chooses to shoot Barisov and join Demichev, he utilizes the power of the TMD to train the island's mutant population to become soldiers, and uses them as first wave attackers in all of his major battles, personally leading them in battle and wiping out all those who stand in his way. Operatives of MIR-12 are hunted down and executed, with the organization soon ceasing to exist. In the following years, there is tension in the ruling Russian dictatorship. Renko's knowledge of advanced weaponry, and his control of the TMD, allows his support to grow. Some believe that Renko is more powerful than Demichev. Demichev recognises this, and so begins a secret weapons research program in the former United States; there are also rumors that Demichev has created his own TMD. This settles the world into another cold war, with Renko on one side, and Demichev on the other.
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