The car ride was already unbearable.
"Seatbelt," Zander said casually.
Blitz scoffed from the back seat. "I know how to use a seatbelt."
"Do you?" he replied without looking at her. "Because last time you..."
"Don't." A pause.
"...fell out of a moving vehicle."
"IT WAS ONE TIME!"
Specter quietly looked out the window. "…I remember three."
Blitz turned. "Why are you both against me today?!"
Vex sat in the front passenger seat, arms crossed, eyes forward. "…Focus."
Blitz groaned dramatically. "See? Even she's on your side."
Zander smirked. "Smart leader."
Blitz kicked the back of his seat. "Drive faster."
"Or what?"
"I'll drive."
"That's exactly why I won't."
Specter almost smiled.
----------------------------------------
[CANADA HEADQUARTERS]
The building was colder than the air outside. Sleek. Modern. Quiet. Different from their base.
"Welcome to Canada Headquarters," Zander said as they stepped inside. "Try not to break anything."
Blitz rolled her eyes. "No promises."
They were led into a briefing room. Lights dimmed. A large screen was activated.
A figure appeared.
"Red Veil." The voice was unfamiliar. Cold.
"Your previous mission has been classified."
Blitz muttered under her breath. "…Of course it is."
Zander leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Silent now. Serious.
"This operation will now be handled under Phantom Protocol."
That name, again. Vex's gaze hardened.
"You are being reassigned to a containment mission."
The screen shifted. A location appeared.
Remote. Isolated. Snow-covered.
"Target is currently moving within this zone."
A pause.
"…Codename: Phantom." Silence filled the room.
Blitz straightened. "…We're hunting him again?"
"Correction," the voice replied. "…You are not the only ones."
The screen flickered. Multiple teams. Multiple units. All assigned.
Specter frowned. "…That's too many."
Zander spoke for the first time. "They're not hunting him. A pause. "…They're cornering him."
The realization hit. Vex's voice was low. "…Or eliminating him."
The screen went dark.
"Red Veil," the voice continued. "Your role is to intercept." A beat. "And ensure the target does not escape."
Silence. Blitz clenched her fists. "…This is messy."
Specter's thoughts raced. Too many variables. Too many unknowns.
And Phantom, right in the center.
[AFTER BRIEFING]
The room emptied slowly.
Blitz turned to Zander immediately. "Okay, explain."
"Explain what?"
"Why are you here?"
Zander smirked. "Miss me that much?"
Blitz grabbed his collar. "Talk."
Specter sighed. "…Here we go."
Zander didn't resist. "I'm assigned to your team."
Blitz froze. "…No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"NO."
"Yes, Blitz."
She let go of him dramatically. "This is a nightmare."
Zander chuckled. "Relax. I'm here to help."
"You are the problem."
"Yet here I am."
Blitz turned to Vex. "Say something!"
Vex glanced at Zander. Then at Blitz, "…He stays."
Blitz looked betrayed. "Of course he does."
Specter leaned slightly closer to Blitz. "...At least it won't be boring."
Blitz groaned. "I hate all of you."
"Not true," Zander said casually. "You like me a little."
Blitz picked up a file and threw it at him. "Shut up."
Across the room, Vex stood still.
Watching. Thinking. Phantom. Multiple teams.
A trap is getting bigger. And somewhere in all of it, the truth. Still hidden.
Zander's voice cut through her thoughts. "You're quiet."
She didn't look at him. "I'm thinking."
A pause. "… Good," he said. Because, unlike Blitz, Zander didn't joke now.
"…You're going to need it." Silence.
Because deep down, they all felt it. This mission wasn't just dangerous. It was a war.
---------------
The wind howled across the frozen landscape. Snow stretched endlessly in every direction, white, silent, unforgiving. Red Veil moved through it like shadows.
Vex led. Specter followed closely behind. Blitz was already complaining. "…I hate this place."
Zander walked beside her, hands in his pockets like this was a casual stroll. "You've said that five times."
"Because it's getting worse."
"It's just snow."
Blitz stopped walking. Turned to him. Dead serious. "It's cold snow."
"…That's how snow works."
Specter sighed softly. "…Focus, both of you."
Vex didn't turn. But her voice came sharp through the comms. "Enough." Silence.
"Target is within 2 kilometers," she continued. "Multiple units are already in position."
Blitz's expression shifted. "…So we're really doing this."
Specter's gaze hardened. "…We don't have a choice."
Zander finally straightened. No more jokes. "Actually," he said quietly, "You do."
Blitz frowned. "…What's that supposed to mean?"
Zander didn't answer.
Vex cut in. "Positions." They split.
[TEAM SPLIT]
Vex → High ground (sniper overwatch)
Specter → Recon / tracking
Blitz + Zander → Close-range interception
Blitz groaned. "Why am I stuck with him?"
Zander smirked. "Because you need supervision."
"I don't need..."
A sudden sound.
Both froze. Footsteps. Crunching against snow. Close.
Blitz's expression snapped into focus. Weapon up. Zander mirrored her instantly.
"…Left," he whispered.
"…I see it," she replied.
For a moment, they moved perfectly in sync. No arguing. No teasing. Just instinct.
A figure darted between the trees. Fast.
Blitz lunged forward, "WAIT!" Zander grabbed her arm.
"Let go!"
"That's not him."
A second later, gunfire erupted from the direction she was about to run into.
Blitz froze. "…Snipers."
Zander released her slowly.
"…You're welcome."
A pause.
"…Don't get used to it," she muttered. But her voice was softer now.
[MEANWHILE – SPECTER]
Specter moved carefully, scanning tracks in the snow. Then, she stopped.
"…These aren't from the teams." Her voice low through comms.
"Someone else is here."
[VEX – OVERWATCH]
From above, Vex watched everything. Movements. Patterns. Mistakes.
"…Too many players," she murmured.
Her scope shifted And locked. A familiar figure. Standing alone.
Phantom. Unmoving. Like he was waiting.
"…I have visual," Vex said.
Silence on comms.
Blitz's voice came next. "…Already?"
Specter didn't speak. Because she felt it too. That tension. That pull.
[BLITZ & ZANDER]
They reached the clearing. And there, Phantom.
Blitz raised her weapon immediately. "…Target confirmed."
Zander didn't move. "…Something's wrong."
Phantom didn't react. Didn't run. Didn't attack. Just stood there.
"…He's bait," Zander said quietly.
Blitz frowned. "…What?"
"Too exposed. Too easy."
A beat. "…It's a trap."
Blitz's grip tightened. "…Then why is he still standing there?"
Zander's eyes narrowed. "…Because he knows something we don't."
[ALL COMMS ACTIVE]
"Vex," Specter said.
"Something's off."
"I know." A pause. "Don't engage yet."
Blitz groaned. "Are you serious???"
Suddenly, Phantom moved. Not away. Toward them. Slow. Calm.
Blitz tensed. "Okay, I don't like this."
Zander stepped slightly in front of her. "…Stay behind me."
Blitz blinked. "…Excuse me?"
"Just this once."
A pause. "…Fine." But she didn't sound annoyed.
[PHANTOM – CLOSE RANGE]
He stopped a few meters away. Snow falling between them.
"…You shouldn't be here," he said.
Blitz scoffed. "Wow, original line. You used that before."
Zander didn't speak. His eyes studied Phantom carefully. "…You're not running," he said.
Phantom's gaze shifted to him. "…And you're not part of Red Veil."
A beat. Zander smirked slightly. "…Good observation."
Silence. Then, Phantom's voice dropped. "…Leave."
Blitz blinked. "…What?"
"Now."
Zander's expression changed. "…Why?"
Phantom didn't answer. Instead his eyes flicked past them. Just for a second.
Zander noticed. "…We're not alone," he muttered.
[AMBUSH]
Gunfire exploded. From all directions.
"CONTACT!" Vex's voice cut through comms.
Blitz ducked instantly, "FINALLY!"
Zander grabbed her again pulling her down just as bullets tore through the space she was standing. "STOP RUSHING IN!"
"I HAD IT!"
"YOU WERE ABOUT TO DIE!"
"…Okay, maybe a little."
Despite everything, Zander let out a short laugh. "…You're insane."
"You're slow."
"…We're going to die."
"Not today."
And just like that, they moved again. This time, together. No hesitation. No arguments. Just survival.
[VEX – WATCHING]
From above, Vex saw everything.
Blitz. Zander. Specter. Phantom. All caught in the same storm.
"…This isn't just a mission," she whispered. Her finger hovered over the trigger. Locked on Phantom.
But she didn't shoot. Because deep down, she knew. This wasn't about killing him anymore. It was about surviving, what was coming next.
-----------
Gunfire ripped through the forest. Snow exploded into the air with every impact. Shouts. Commands. Chaos.
[SPECTER]
"Blitz, left flank!"
"I see it!"
Another explosion. Closer. Too close.
The ground beneath Specter cracked, She stumbled. Slid...
"…!"
Down a narrow slope, hidden beneath layers of snow. Everything went white. Then silence.
Her body hit the ground hard. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
"…Blitz?" she called out. No response. Static.
"…Vex?" Nothing. The comms were dead.
She pushed herself up slowly. Snow falling around her. Alone. "…Great."
A sound. Behind her. She turned instantly, weapon raised. Then stopped. "…You."
Phantom stood there. Just a few steps away. Unarmed. Unmoving. "…Looks like we're both isolated," he said quietly.
Specter didn't lower her weapon. "Don't move."
A faint smile. "You say that like I was going to." Silence.
"…Why are you here?" she demanded.
Phantom glanced upward, toward the battlefield above. "…Because you fell."
Her eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant."
A pause. "…I know." He stepped closer. Slowly. Carefully.
Specter tightened her grip. "Stop."
He did. "…You're still trying to understand, aren't you?"
Her voice lowered. "You saved me." A beat. "Why?"
Snow fell between them. Quiet. Heavy.
Phantom looked at her. This time, not as an enemy.
"…Because I couldn't let it happen again."
Her breath caught. "…Again?"
A flicker in his eyes. "…You don't remember."
Her heart tightened. "…Remember what?"
He didn't answer. Instead, a gunshot echoed. Sharp. Precise.
Phantom's body jerked. Blood stained the snow. His shoulder.
Specter's eyes widened. "…NO!"
[VEX – OVERWATCH]
From above, Vex's hands didn't shake. Her sniper locked. Steady. Cold. Her voice, barely a whisper.
"…Sorry." Another shot. This time, his leg. Phantom dropped to one knee.
"…Bad boy," she murmured softly.
Her eyes hardened. "…I have to do this." Her breath slowed. Controlled.
"My father won't let this go easily." Her finger remained on the trigger.
"…Either you die first…" A pause. "…or I do."
Her voice cracked, just slightly. "…I'll decide that."
[SPECTER – BELOW]
"STOP!" Specter moved instantly dropping to Phantom's side.
"Are you insane?!" she shouted upward.
But Vex didn't respond. Couldn't.
Specter pressed her hand against the wound. "…Why didn't you move?" she demanded.
Phantom exhaled slowly. "…Because she needed to do it."
Her hands trembled. "…You could've dodged."
A faint smile. "…Yeah." Silence.
"…Then why?"
He looked at her. "…Because if I didn't…" A pause. "…she wouldn't believe it."
Her chest tightened. "…Believe what?"
His voice dropped. "…That I'm still the enemy."
[VEX – ABOVE]
Her vision blurred. Just for a second. She blinked it away.
No hesitation. No weakness. That's what she was taught. That's what she had to be.
"…Target immobilized," she said through comms. Her voice steady. Like nothing happened. Like she didn't just shoot him. Twice.
[BACK TO SPECTER]
"…You're lying," Specter whispered.
Phantom shook his head slightly. "…No."
Blood stained the snow deeper now. "…You need to leave."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You don't have a choice." A pause. "…They're coming." eyes shifted, toward the distance.
Specter froze. More footsteps. More units. Closing in.
"…Go," he said again.
Her hands clenched. "…I'm not done asking."
A faint, tired smile. "…Next time." Silence.
"…There might not be a next time."
His gaze softened. "…Then make this one count."
Above, Vex watched. Her expression unreadable. But inside, something was breaking. Again.
Because this time, she didn't miss. She chose to hurt him.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything else.
TBC