WARZONE - König

1 - Pt. One

In his secluded office, General Shepherd meets with Phillip Graves, the leader of Shadow Company. The closed blinds allow a sliver of daylight to filter through, casting a faint glow in the room. The office is devoid of any extravagant decorations, save for a simple name stand positioned at the edge of the desk, facing the door.

Graves stands upright, his arms folded behind his back, as he gazes at Shepherd. They exchange a nod, acknowledging each other's presence.

"Give me the details," Shepherd begins, prompting Graves to relax his stance and lower his arms. Graves places a folder on Shepherd's desk, and Shepherd swiftly turns it around to face himself. As he opens the folder, the contents reveal a file belonging to one of his soldiers.

"After Lt. Ghost and Sgt. Nosia ran Hassan out of Al-Mazrah, we got approval from Laswell to send one of the KorTac private contractors along with one of our own there to finish off the rest of the AQ's and rescue the hostages. I personally chose Sgt. Nadja to accompany their man into the warzone."

"KorTac—that private company Laswell put together. Glad to have some help from their end. Is your Sergeant up and ready then?"

"Yessir."

"Then what're we waitin' on? Let's get 'em out there." Shepherd commands.

-

As the helicopter touches down on the U.S. military base in Al-Mazrah, the cargo door gradually lowers, revealing the dim and vacant interior. Nadja, a young soldier known as "Siren," shields her eyes from the gusts of wind and sunlight with her arm. Her rifle hangs loosely by her side, while her black hair billows across her face.

Squinting her dark brown eyes, Nadja patiently waits for the door to fully open and the engines to cease their roar. With a swift motion, she lowers her arm and strides forward. Her attire is simple yet functional—a dark blue combat jacket paired with neatly folded cargo pants of the same hue. Completing her ensemble are black combat boots, a snug vest securing ammunition and grenades around her waist, and a plain dark backpack slung over her shoulders.

"Siren, this is Graves. You know your mission. If the KorTac operator gives you any trouble, you know what to do. Get in there, rescue the hostages, and get out. We may have trouble communicating once you land, but you have execute authority for any and all that's necessary for the mission."

"Affirmative, sir." She acknowledges, planting her boots on the bridge connecting the solid ground of the landing zone to the metallic flooring inside the helicopter. Each step reverberates, creating an echoing effect as she enters. A somber shadow envelops her as she makes her way towards an available seat. The aisle is narrow but the seats were all empty; all except for one.

As she plops down with the rifle between her knees, she straps the buckles over her chest and wriggles until she's comfortable in the hard plastic seat. She looks up, a serious look on her face as she was focused, where across her just to the left sat the KorTac operator assigned to join her on this mission; Konig.

A wide smile greets the mysterious man as he was nearly camouflaged in the unlit darkness of the helicopter, a black mask draped and hanging over his face like an executioner, a pair of dark eyes glaring back at her through two cutouts.

A dim red light flickers on as the cargo door screeches shut, slamming into place as the heli is being refueled.

"Hi," Nadja breaks the silence, attempting to engage in conversation. However, Konig averts his gaze, fixating on the empty darkness beside them, deliberately avoiding her. 'Damn.' An exasperated whisper escapes Nadja's lips, accompanied by a hiss, as she jerks her chin back in offense, looking away awkwardly.