Chapter Text
Lando was jolted awake by the sudden, deafening noise of the agency klaxon that reverberated through every inch of the facility, shattering the silence that filled the room, along with his hopes for a night of undisturbed rest.
Lando let out a short, low groan into his pillow before sluggishly pushing his body up and slowly sliding his legs over the side of the bed. When his feet touched the solid ground beneath him, the last of his warmth drained away into the ice-cold tiles, whilst his eyes, that refused to stay open, were desperately attempting to process the pulsing red light that flooded his room.
Squinting through blurred vision, Lando looked toward the small corner desk. There sat the chair, host to a pile of yesterday’s clothes that he had promised himself to fold neatly away before today arrived. In a few small steps Lando reached the chair and blindly pulled from the heap of clothes his Black-Ops gear and tugged the items on in quick, practiced succession.
On Lando’s way out, his tired reflection caught his eye in the small mirror above his desk, for a moment he stared at the dishevelled figure in front of him before he hastily shoved his hands through his hair, in a hopeful attempt to tame the dark brown curls that rested on his head. Then, he was out the door, making his way to the meeting room at a hurried pace.
~
“Took you long enough. Didn’t think you’d bother showing up.” George scoffed whilst rolling his eyes as Lando slipped into the room - the last agent to join the tense circle gathered before their commander, Sebastian Vettel.
“I’m so sorry that my two-minute delay caused you such profound emotional distress, George.” Lando shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
George opened his mouth to snap a reply, but the words died in his throat instantly when a cold, commanding voice sliced through the air, sending an immediate chill down every agent’s spine.
“Enough.” Commander Vettel didn’t raise his voice, but the single word brought absolute silence. “I did not call you here to listen to idiotic remarks.”
Vettel’s icy eyes bored straight into Lando’s soul before shifting to George to do the same. “You do not waste my time like this again. Am I clear?”
“Yes sir, understood,” Lando and George muttered in unison, staring firmly at the floor.
Vettel didn’t waste a second. He turned sharply to the massive wall monitor behind him. A loop of graining CCTV footage flicked to life, showing the exterior of a sprawling corporate office building. A masked figure clad entirely in black swiftly, with lethal precision, slipped through a rear security door of the high-rise office building.
As the shadow vanished from the frame, Vettel tapped the console, switching instantly to an interior camera feed.
“The ghost has struck again. This is the third highly secure facility they have broken into this week.” Vettel said, his voice dropping an octave. “Our target is currently moving at pace towards the top floor of the building, presumably to reach the CEO’s office. We believe they are here to extract high-level corporate intelligence and will eliminate anyone who crosses their path. There are several security guards scattered across the top floor of the building who will certainly slow them down enough that, if we’re quick, we could find ourselves within in arm’s reach of the assassin.”
“You want us to corner the ghost in the CEO’s office before they can steal the information and eliminate them before they slip away?” Alex asked, clarifying the commander’s orders.
“No. I do not wish for you to eliminate the ghost”, Commander Vettel stayed clearly, leaving no doubt about the task at hand. “Instead, I want them alive in our interrogation room after the mission. George you will stay here as usual in charge of comms. Lando, max, and Charles, you will be face-to-face with the ghost. You will be armed with sedatives, which you will insert into our target once defeated.”
At that the four named agents nodded to their commander.
“Alex, you are the assigned getaway driver,” Vettel continued, his gaze shifting. “Drop the agents outside the building and be ready to pull away with an extra body in the back. Is the plan clear for everyone?”
“Yes sir”, all five agents obediently responded in unison.
Then, they scattered around the room to collect their weapons and gadgets. Guns were slid into holsters, tactical knives were concealed inside the trouser legs, and communication earpieces were clicked into place. Those heading into the building checked their syringes, ensuring they were filled with the heavy sedative.
Within minutes, the field team began filing out of the room toward the slick, black Explorer waiting for them in the subterranean garage, leaving George behind, who was already activating screens and devices all around him.