The briefing room was quieter than usual, the hum of machinery in the walls the only sound as the team gathered. PS stood at the head of the table, her expression unreadable as always, but the faint urgency in her tone set the mood.
"You've all had less than 24 hours since your last mission," she began, her sharp gaze sweeping over the trio. "But this can't wait. One of our agents, codename Dagger, has been compromised. He's currently held in a Black Sun facility on the outskirts of Istanbul."
"Compromised how?" Volt asked, leaning forward, his arms resting on the table.
"Captured during an undercover operation. He was embedded in their supply chain, gathering intel. Black Sun must have figured him out."
"Or he got sloppy," Tank muttered, earning a sharp look from PS.
"This isn't about pointing fingers," she said coldly. "Dagger has vital information about their operations. If Black Sun breaks him, that information becomes theirs. Your mission is to retrieve him before that happens."
PS clicked a button, and a grainy image appeared on the screen behind her: Dagger, shackled to a chair, blood streaked down his face but his eyes sharp.
"He doesn't look broken," Tank remarked with a smirk.
"Not yet," PS replied. "But time isn't on our side. The facility is heavily guarded—augmented personnel, automated defenses, and thermal sensors. Ghost has already scouted your entry point."
"Ghost," Volt muttered, shaking his head. "Of course, he doesn't have to run around like the rest of us."
"You'll enter through the west side," PS continued. "Tank provides the muscle. Volt handles disruptions to their systems. And you—" She turned to her, a faint smirk on her face. "Speed and precision. Your window for extraction is fifteen minutes once the alarms are triggered."
She nodded, though her stomach churned at the thought of being back in the field so soon.
---
As they left the briefing room, Volt fell into step beside her.
"Well, look at that," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Another mission already. Guess downtime isn't a thing anymore."
"I didn't need downtime anyway," she shot back, rolling her shoulders. "I thought A-Class agents like you thrived on action."
Volt chuckled. "A-Class agents like me also enjoy breathing between missions. You, on the other hand, are still green enough to think this pace is normal."
"Green? I handled myself just fine last mission."
"You did," Volt agreed, smirking. "Except for that moment below deck when you hesitated. Should we talk about that?"
"Do you ever stop talking?" she muttered, picking up her pace.
"Not when I'm right," Volt called after her.
Tank, walking a few steps ahead, shook his head. "You two sound like a married couple."
"Watch it," they both said in unison, glaring at him.
Tank grinned. "See? Exactly my point."
---
By the time they reached the hangar, the team had suited up and prepped their gear. The jet stood waiting, engines humming softly as the crew made final checks.
She looked at Volt as they approached the ramp. "You ready for this?"
He smirked, adjusting his gloves. "Always. You?"
"Guess we'll find out."
As they boarded the jet, PS's voice crackled in her earpiece.
"Remember, time is critical. Good luck out there."
The ramp closed behind them, sealing them in. The jet began to hum louder, the vibrations beneath their feet signaling the start of another mission.
—
The jet's cabin was calm but tense as it ascended, the faint hum of the engines serving as a backdrop to their quiet preparation. Tank was seated in the back, methodically checking his gear, while she sat across from Volt, her leg bouncing slightly. Volt was scrolling through his comms device, but he wasn't looking at it. He seemed distracted, which was rare.
Finally, he tapped the comms button and said, "Alright, Kykuit, you're up."
A deep, steady voice filled the cabin speakers. "About time. You know I don't do last-minute briefings, Volt."
She raised an eyebrow. Kykuit wasn't an AI like she'd assumed earlier—he was a real person, and judging by his tone, someone who had no problem calling Volt out. They really give real personal attention to A grade, she thought,thinking about how big this organisation really is.
Volt leaned back and smirked. "You're just annoyed because I interrupted your snacks."
"I was enjoying a perfectly good sandwich," Kykuit said, his tone dry. "But no, let's talk about your suicidal mission."
"Suicidal? That's optimistic," Tank muttered from the back, earning a chuckle from Volt.
Kykuit cleared his throat, his voice shifting into a more professional tone. "Listen up, team. The Black Sun facility is located fifteen kilometers outside Istanbul, buried in a canyon. Three sides are natural barriers, so forget about sneaking in from there. Your only viable entry point is on the west side."
Her bionic eye flickered to life, and an overlay appeared in her vision—a topographic map of the canyon with highlighted routes and structures.
Kykuit continued, "The west side has a blind spot in its surveillance grid. Their cameras rotate with a 2.4-second delay. Speedster, that's all you need to slip past."
She nodded, impressed by the clarity of the visuals. "Got it."
"Tank, you're breaching the main entrance here." The map zoomed in, showing a reinforced door surrounded by guards. "Four hostiles. Augmented, but nothing you can't handle."
"Piece of cake," Tank rumbled.
"Kykuit, what about me?" Volt asked, his smirk intact.
"Your job is to disable the auto-turrets and knock out their surveillance system. Keep the team from becoming Swiss cheese," Kykuit said. "Try not to get distracted by your reflection in the monitors this time."
She snorted, and Volt shot her a mock glare.
"What about Dagger?" she asked, her gaze locked on the glowing red dot marking their target.
Kykuit's voice grew serious. "He's being held in the lower levels. No cameras, but his tracker places him here. Extraction should take three minutes tops, assuming no complications."
"'Assuming no complications,'" Volt echoed. "Yeah, because that's always how these things go."
"Is sarcasm part of your charm, or are you just naturally insufferable?" Kykuit quipped.
Volt chuckled. "A little of both."
She leaned forward, intrigued. "So, Kykuit, what's your deal? Personal support? Sounds fancy."
Kykuit replied, his tone slightly smug. "When you're an A-Class agent like Volt, you get personalized support for missions. I'm here to make sure he doesn't get himself killed. Not that he listens half the time."
Tank laughed. "A babysitter. Got it."
"More like a lifeline," Kykuit said. "Now, if you're done wasting time, you're approaching the drop zone. Try not to screw this up. I'd like to finish my sandwich before midnight."
The overlay disappeared from her vision as Volt stretched.
"You and Kykuit seem… close," she said.
Volt shrugged. "He's good at what he does. And yeah, maybe I like having someone keep me on track."
"Sounds like babysitting to me," she teased.
Volt smirked. "Careful, rookie. Keep this up, and you might just earn yourself one someday."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I'll pass."
The jet banked sharply, signaling their approach. It was time to move.