Cross nodded, her eyes already moving to the next station. "And someone get me a status update on our other people. I want to know what they've found out at the moment."A young man in tactical gear spoke up from his desk. "I'll relay the team's findings to you, ma'am. There hasn't been any sign of movement so far.""Keep me posted," Cross said, her voice sharp and commanding. "I don't want any surprises."Kim watched the exchange with a mixture of awe and unease. Cross was in her element here, a general commanding her troops. It was a side of her that Kim found to be both impressive and intimidating.Saul leaned toward Kim, his voice low. "She's….so bossy." He muttered, bitterness unable to hide the slight awe in his voice as he watched her.Kim nodded, her eyes still fixed on Cross. "She's in her element it seems.""I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse."Kim glanced at him, a faint smile touching her lips. "A little of both, I think."Before Saul could respond at that

"Is there anything else you need to know?" the woman asked, her tone making it clear that she was ready to return to her work.Kim shook her head. "No, thank you. You've been very helpful."The woman nodded once and turned back to her keyboard, her attention already shifting back to the data feeds on her screen. Kim stood there for a moment longer, watching the pulsing dots on the map, before she turned to find Saul.But Saul was gone.She scanned the room, her eyes moving from cluster to cluster. He wasn't near the door. He wasn't at any of the analytics stations. He wasn't in the kitchen or the dining area where the ammunition was being assembled.Kim felt a flicker of unease. Where had he gone?***(Six minutes earlier)Lingering by the entrance of the kitchen-turned- command-room, Saul felt bored as he watched the men and women move through their work stations after the meeting had come to end, cross being her usually bossy self as she assigned the teams before fucking off withou

Saul felt a surge of boldness at her stillness and he stepped even closer, close enough that he could see the pulse beating in her throat, the tension in her jaw.She was close to cracking but she still wasnt at that point of no return yet.Saul was going to have to bring out the big guns."Or maybe," he said, his voice dropping to a dark whisper, "you worked for them all along. Looking at you now, you don't look any different from the criminals you're pretending to catch."The words hit their mark dead center.And cross's face flashed with rage, a sudden, blinding fury that transformed her features. Her eyes blazed, her jaw tightened, and she stepped into his space with a speed that was almost inhuman."You bastard," she hissed.And then she was on him.Her fist connected with his stomach, driving the air from his lungs in a violent whoosh. He doubled over, gasping, the impact sending shockwaves of pain through his torso. Before he could straighten, she followed up with a right ho

But it was still a pretty shitty way of doing so.Wincing , he reached up a hand and touched it to his throbbing nose. Oh It was definitely broken. He could feel the unnatural shift of the bone beneath his fingers. He would need to get it set, and soon, or it would heal wrong.After a few minutes, they emerged from the trees and crossed the clearing toward the stone building. The lights were still on inside, spilling out through the blackout curtains in thin slivers of yellow. The night air was cool against his sweat-slicked skin.But just as they approached the entrance, the door suddenly swung open and Kim rushed out, her face a mask of worry. Her eyes went wide when she saw Saul, her gaze traveling over his bloodied face, his swollen nose, the bruises already forming on his jaw."Oh my God, Saul!" She rushed to his side, her hands fluttering around his face, not quite touching. "What happened? You're all bloodied!"Saul opened his mouth to explain, but the words wouldn't come.

The corridor stretched before them like the throat of a sleeping beast, dark and narrow and suffocating. Dust motes danced in the thin slivers of light that seeped through cracks in the boarded windows, and the air was thick with the smell of decay and neglect: old machinery, rust, and the faint, musty odor of water damage that had been left to fester for years.Saul closely behind Cross, his footsteps silent against the cracked concrete floor as they walked through. The tactical gear felt familiar now, the weight of it a constant presence that he had grown accustomed to over the long hours of the mission. His night vision goggles were pushed up on his forehead, unnecessary in the dim daylight that filtered through the grime-caked windows.His nose throbbed beneath the medical tape, a dull, persistent ache that he had learned to ignore. The painkillers the medic had given him were wearing off, and he could feel the swelling pressing against the tape with every heartbeat. But he pu