Operation "Triple Blade"
Operation "Triple Blade"
The fog that rolled in this morning never lifted. It hung over the base like gray cotton, muffling footsteps and turning the searchlights into blurred, hazy smudges. Somewhere behind the wall of mist, a generator hummed—steady and low, as if the base itself were breathing.
Three squads stood on the parade ground, divided by invisible lines. To the left—König’s Austrians: the Captain himself stood like an immovable monolith in his hood, Valeria beside him in civilian clothes that looked provocatively out of place here, followed by Rose and Stiletto. To the right—Ghost’s British: the skull mask, Soap with his hands in his pockets, Farah and Alex. In the center—the "Universals." Grimm stood so still he seemed part of the base itself; Rain stood slightly apart, arms crossed, with a gaze that usually made people lower their voices.
Price stood on a low dais, hands behind his back. His cap was pulled low. He wasn't here by choice—"higher-ups" had ordered him to take command of the base and oversee the assembly. But judging by the way he held the silence before every word, it was clear: he was carrying out the order on his own terms. Assessing. Memorizing.
— Introductions, — he tossed out curtly. — Dinner in ten minutes. Briefing in one hour. Do not be late.
He stepped down from the dais and walked toward the command center without looking back. At the very doors, he paused, as if remembering something, but said nothing—he only gave a slight nod of his head and disappeared inside.
A silence hung in the air. The kind of silence where no one wants to be the first to break it.
Valeria was the first to shatter it. She smirked, her eyes sweeping over the parade ground, and spoke loudly, with a hint of defiance:
— Well then, boys. Who wants to be the first to tell us what we're actually doing here?
Soap chuckled, not pulling his hands from his pockets:
— I thought you were gonna tell us. You are our... — he paused, searching for the word, — ...consultant.
Valeria bared her teeth in a grin in response, but remained silent. Her gaze drifted past him—over König, over Ghost—and stopped.
Ghost wasn't looking at anyone. His eyes were fixed on the scarred half of Grimm's face. Grimm, in turn, was watching König. Two giants. Neither blinked. The fog between them seemed to thicken.
Rain spoke into the silence, her voice low but steady:
— Maybe you two could exchange resumes? Otherwise, we'll be standing here until morning.
Farah offered a faint, almost imperceptible smile. Alex did not. He watched the Captain of the Universals with an expression that was hard to call friendly: it was more an assessment than an interest.
Valeria took a step forward, tilting her head slightly—and her smile sharpened.
— And what about you, Captain? — she looked him dead in the eye. — Do you have a theory? Or are you one of those who prefers to just watch and stay silent?
König turned his head slightly. His hood concealed his face, but it was clear he was listening. Ghost shifted his gaze as well. Grimm and Rain—both of them—looked toward their commander. Even Soap stopped smirking.
The parade ground fell quiet. In a second-story window of the command center, a light was on—and in that light, Price's silhouette was visible. He was standing there, looking down. Waiting.
The question hung suspended in the fog. Everyone was looking at the Captain of the Universals.