CIA SAFEHOUSE E9, "DIE LANDEBAHN"
(Y/F/N) "Bell" (Y/L/N), (MI6, CIA, ETC.)
52.5200 N, 13.4050 E, West Berlin
April 3rd, 1981

♧♧♧♧ Adler's POV. ♧♧♧♧

The sun hit her face at just the right angle. It was beautiful. She stirred, then relaxed her face. She IS, beautiful. I sighed happily as I leaned against my hand. Slowly, as to not disturb her, I sat up and took my shirt off. My legs swooped off of the bed and onto the floor.
6:57 A.M.
I usually get up around this time anyways..
It's been a few days since I had a shower. I was so caught up in other things.

Clank.

The metal part of my belt hit the hard floor as I cringed to the loud noise at such an early and quiet time.
Much quieter this time, I slipped off my pants and socks, tossing it all into the hamper and putting my belt on top of my dresser. I grabbed a pair of clothes and brought it into the bathroom with me. I stretched and tip toed to the bathroom, making sure to close the door silently. The floor was cold, and the room was silent. I started the shower and slipped off my underwear, tossing it on the back of the toilet.
Perhaps I needed this... and not only to smell better.
I stepped into the tub.
The warm water dripped down my skin as I adjusted the temperature.

Bell likes it boiling hot for some damn reason.
Bell.
Bell..
"God.." I muttered out loud on accident.
What am I gonna do with her?
She's like 10 years younger than me and pregnant with my kid. She's also my girlfriend.
What..
Why am I so stupid?
I was just so desperate, my emotions got the best of me when we showered together. I was a trainwreck that day, there was something about that day.. What she did, her actions, what she said, just... her.. that made me act that way. I've tried to stay calm and collected through it all.
The way the rest of the team found out.

No.. the mere fact.. Park wasn't even supposed to know. I should've been the only one to know. I'm glad she found out, cause I wouldn't have if it wasn't for her. I'm too old and don't remember how this shit works anymore.. I sighed, closing my eyes and letting the water hit my shoulders.
The pounding weight of the water, and the temperature almost felt like a massage.
Bell is just another sad attempt at my love life. Perhaps I wasn't meant to have one.
Maybe I can go through with what Hudson told me.
I feel as if some times, I'm numb.
Emotionless.
But no, not yet.. I need to get Perseus first. She is my only way to him, and to defeating him.
But I love her. I do care about her.
Right..?

Our first mission with Bell is in a few days, she has to be in mint condition and up to par.
She must perform well.
I'll have to make sure she doesn't fuck up, or else this whole operation may fly out the window and I'll lose my next lead on Perseus, and stopping him from detonating those bombs.
But then again, I have to make sure she stays safe, not only for the sake of the operation, but my child. Our child. I'm excited to be a father. I'd have to work out all of the cons and the stuff I have to hide from Hudson and my higher ups later on as time passes. How this child would be born in the midst of all of this? I'm not sure. I picked up the soap bar from the rack next to me and started to clean myself with it. Perhaps she will find out one day, and I'm praying that she'll forgive me.
For all of it. She'll have to find out one day.
It'd be a shame if I accidentally shot her in the wrong place.
Maybe then she would live through it, and she would be able to live a new life with our baby.

That wouldn't be too bad. Hopefully we would meet in another life, because this one is just not meant to be. I love her, so I'll enjoy it while I can.

¤¤¤¤ Bell's POV. ¤¤¤¤

My head was throbbing, everything hurt, and I was laying in Adler's bed alone.
"Fuuuck.." I groaned out.
My head.. I sat up too fast, as I became super dizzy and had to lay back down slowly. The shower had been running, so I assumed he was in there. I don't remember much of last night, I just remember having a good time. We partied, sang, talked, drank, smoked. All of it. It was truly a fun experience.
But it sucks, we're all hungover. Or at least, I am. Badly.
I smiled through it though, knowing we all still had a good time.

~
After a quick shower and some medicine to help my migraine, the whole team was downstairs. Sims sat on the same swivel chair he did a few weeks ago, still next to Adler's table. This time, he wore a brown leather jacket with a brown cap. Matched with some tan dress pants, and some brown shoes.
Adler sat next to him on the table, smoking a cigarette. He had on some dark brown leather gloves. A black jacket paired with a dark mustard turtleneck. Brown shoes just like Sims, and those same aviators glued onto his face. Lazar stood next to him in a long grey coat, almost closed, with an ivory collard shirt under that. He also wore blue baggy jeans, and some nice black shoes. And of course, with Chinese takeout in his hand. They were all watching Park, who stood in front of the evidence board holding a few pieces of paper. She wore light blue ripped jeans, black knee high boots, a blue cloth jacket, some black leather gloves, and a pair of glasses. Her hair was pushed back behind her ear like usual. I walked over to them, standing between Sims and Park.

"We've finished analyzing the names Bell acquired at Da Nang."
Park spoke up, removing a photo from her papers.
"One in particular stands out." She pressed the photo on the evidence board, looking to us.
"Anton Volkov." She said slowly as she walked to the other side of the photo.
"He's a Russian arms dealer working out of East Berlin."
Her other hand that hung up the photo was now touching her papers once more.
"Admittedly, his connection to Perseus comes as a surprise." She stood in the same position, looking at all of us until Adler hopped off the table smoothly.
"We've got kill or capture orders on Volkov." He walked to the evidence board, looking at the photo, cigarette in hand.
"So if we can't get to Perseus, we'll get to his men." He continued, turning back from the photo to look at us.
"Close of his resources.." He turned to Park, then back to me.
"Force him out of hiding." He looked at Lazar, pointing his cigarette towards him.
"Mason and Woods are still wrapping up business in Kiev," Adler walked foward a bit. "Which means Volkov is ours. Gear up, and we'll move out." He finished, walking away from the
board towards his table.

Everybody was quiet, Sims rose from Adler's chair and walked away. Park went to speak with Adler, and Lazar finished downing his takeout while walking to his little area with his guns. I followed Lazar, and went to open my mouth.
"We'll talk on the drive, Bell." Lazar said lowly as he threw out his takeout. He began packing things up as I walked away to look at Adler and Park. He took a drag of his cigarette as she spoke.
"MI6 has been tracking Volkov for several years; it is my strong preference that we attempt to capture him rather than kill him. He holds answers to a great many questions." Her hand laid on his table, as she stared at him. He blew the smoke out and put out his cigarette in his ash tray.
"Your preference has been noted, Agent Park." Adler then turned around and walked away, preparing to leave.

I made my way over to the evidence board, examining everything that was there. After a few short minutes, Adler called my name from the open gate. Everybody had their stuff ready to go in the car. I nodded and made my way over. The sunset was beautiful. It'd take a few hours to get there. So we would arrive at the later hours. Park closed and locked the gate. I hopped in the passenger seat as Adler started the car, Lazar behind him, and Park behind me.

~
We exchanged some stories, sentences and more over music during the car ride. A few cigarettes were passed around a few times.
We were almost there, when Adler spoke up, as I was confused of the mission.
Yes, I had encrypted everything.
Yes, the name did stand out.
But I was still confused.
"Volkov heads the Russian mob that moved into East Berlin once the wall went up in '61." Adler spoke behind the wheel, under a red light.
Lazar continued his thought from the backseat.
"This guy has connections to cartels throughout Europe and the Americas."

"Neutralizing him will not only hurt Perseus, but the global syndicate."
The light turned green.
Park had brought some paperwork with her, along with some evidence.
"He's a big fish." Adler moved his hand from the steering wheel, expressing this mission is no joke.
"And here's our little fish.."
She said handing me a photo of the man.

"Franz Kraus."
I stared at the picture in my hands, taking a mental note of the older man.
"According to MI6, he's one of Volkov's information couriers. He has a drop with Volkov scheduled for tomorrow night."
I handed her back the photo.
Adler began to say more of our plan.
"We'll infiltrate from East Berlin via the U-Bahn. A ghost station on the other side of the wall has the access point we need. From there we'll watch Kraus as he enters the city. Once Volkov shows his face, it's kill or capture." Adler kept a steady pace ahead, his eyes on the road.
I sighed.
This mission would be a lot of work, but I'm glad I'm with Adler. Makes things easier for both of us.
After another 20 minutes or so of Adler driving, we finally pulled up to a train station.
We grabbed everything necessary and headed off to the train.

~
On the train, I sat on a seat facing the cart door. Park came over the comms.
"We just passed under the Wall into East Berlin. Get ready." Her voice clicked off. Adler sat to the left of me, about 2 rows away, facing the opposite direction. The direction to stare at me. He looked away from me, towards the window. His leg was on his knee, as he observed around him before shortly looking at me. I checked my watch, and looked back up at him. He looked behind himself, and Park came through our earpieces.
"Adler, the back car is clear - We're good to go."
He looked at me, putting out his cigarette under his foot. He stood, with me swiftly following.

There were plenty of strangers on the train. One couple sat next to Adler, another man holding onto the handle bar above him.
Adler moved past the man, lightly moving his shoulder. I watched as Lazar led us back, opening the door. We all said nothing as to not gain any attention. Lazar stared at Adler as I followed. The back cart was dark and dirty. We walked through the middle of it after he opened the door.
"As soon as the train slows down, you and I'll jump off." He turned to look at me, still walking. Then faced Park, who was standing in the corner of the cart next to the door.
"Park, Lazar, wait till the next station. Bell and I will track down Kraus."
The train began to slow as Adler stood next to the door.
"Alright. The train is slowing down, let's get to work." He said to me as Park moved out of the way.

I walked in front of the door, taking a deep breath.
"You'll be okay, I promise. and So will the baby. And if anything happens, I won't leave you behind. No, I won't even let anything happen to you in the first place." He whispered in my ear. He then gripped onto my hand tightly for a second before letting go go let me open the door. He bent down after I opened it, and looked up to me.
"Alright, here we go." He crouched and walked off swiftly, using his hand as leverage. He made a loud thud as he hit the ground, losing balance. I jumped off behind him, hitting the hard metal train tracks. The gravel poked into my sides, and the tracks were cold.
I slowly stood up to face him.
That wasn't too bad.
"Careful, these German guards still patrol these abandoned stations."
We both pulled out a suppressed 1911, so that we stayed silent and undercover.

We began to move with the train tracks, but had to hop over the wall onto the side as another train was coming and there were guards up ahead.
"Patrol ahead. We can use the train to slip past." We crouched behind the wall, moving foward and using the train as coverage. It also was loud enough to drain out any sounds we made. He hopped up onto the platform and I followed.
"Movement on the platform." He whispered as he jumped up.
German guards spoke up as their flashlights shined at the train tracks.
"Let's take them out quietly." Adler whispered as he crouched behind a wall.
I moved to follow, and pointed my gun at the guard.
"Careful."
I nodded, realizing a gun wasn't a good idea whether it was suppressed or not.
"Take it slow."

I turned to the guard, and took a deep breath before hitting him on the shoulder, and using my gun to knock him out. I covered his mouth in case he made any noise, and then stabbed the man right in the chest. His body fell and slumped over on the platform.
Thankfully, no blood had gotten on me.
Adler and I moved up as I positioned the body to hide it.
There were some other guards behind a door. Adler motioned me towards it, and I nodded, getting my pistol ready.
Slowly, I opened the door and we began to shoot at the men until all of them were dead. I continued to hold my gun as we ran through the office, to a little sewer area with a metal ladder.
"Come on, this is the way out."
"Okay." I said as I climbed up the ladder, moving the sewer cover.

I climbed up and out of the sewer.
Adler climbed up the ladder and I offered him my hand, he grabbed it and stepped up.
"Tha-" Adler was cut off by a German guard yelling at us, and shining his flashlight at us.
"What's going on here?" The man said in German.
"Shit, follow my lead." Adler whispered behind himself at me, while raising his arms up in the air.
"I work for the railroad. Let me show you my ID." He said calmly in German, back to the guard.
I followed his lead, putting my hands up. He motioned his hands towards me, and that's when I realized there were two guards.
"That area is off limits. You're under arrest. Get on the ground!" The cop yelled at Adler as I shuffled closer to him. "Wait, wait, wait. Just calm down." He stared at me, and suddenly, I realized what he wanted me to do. He kept darting back and forth, between me and the guards. He continuously made motions as well.

"I'm sure we can figure something out. Let's.." He continued, but was at a loss for words. So I grabbed the 1911 out of the back of his pants swiftly. "We will shoot you if you don't listen. Get down now!" The guard was angry.
"Now!" Adler yelled as he tackled the guard in front of him.
"What the-!" The man was cut off after Adler grabbed his gun from him.
I shot the guard next to him with the 1911 from Adler's pants.
He put his knee on the mans chest to keep him down, and beat him with the gun.
Both died then and there.
"Nice work. Let's clean this up."
I reloaded the pistol and we both hid the bodies behind a wall.
It was raining out, and the street lights lit up the area. There were some lights behind us, above some doors, and around the buildings.
Adler walked to an unlocked door to a building as I followed.
"Kraus should be coming through the checkpoint soon. Let's get to the rooftop." He opened the metal door, and it creaked loudly.

We snuck up the stairs with our 1911's raised up.
"Park, Lazar, we're almost in position." Adler spoke over the comms.
"Copy that." Park's voice filled my ear.
Adler ran up the stairs in front of me, and began to open the door.
"Come on. This way." He put his weapon away.
We ran through the door while crouching, and hid behind a big metal industrial fan of some sort.
"Careful of the spotlight." He said as he ducked down.
He looked behind himself at me, and walked foward up a metal staircase. He then turned to a field with fences, walls, spotlights, and security everywhere.
"Wow.." I said breathlessly.
"They know how to lock a place down, I'll give em that." He stood up while taking it all in.

Soon after, we hopped up a wall that had a big sign with the word,
"KORBER" in red on a black metal frame.
It was pretty dark on the rooftops, and we had worn a casual, blend in but dark outfit.
I walked under the sign and looked around.
It really was beautiful.
Adler followed, and crouched next to me.
"Keep an eye on that checkpoint. Kraus will be coming through any time." He looked down, below us. At the guards checking people, some walking with umbrellas, others in cars.

Just then, I saw a car pull up to a few guards.
"Look for Kraus with your camera."
Adler motioned to me.
I pulled out my camera and looked around, zooming in and out of multiple places.
"Damn... Security's even tighter than usual. If they detain Kraus, he could miss his meeting with Volkov."
Adler whispered lowly.
Suspicious of the car, I immediately zoomed in on it. I looked around, and spotted a man with a briefcase being questioned by a guard with a flashlight to his face. So, I snapped a photo.
"Good job, that's our man - that's Kraus." He rubbed my back as he stood up to face me.
"You sure you're able to do this?" He questioned me.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm only going to sit with a girl who will give me information, right? How hard can that be?" I smiled to him as he took my hand and led me away from the sign.

We jumped down a few rooftops before making our way to a door.
Adler opened it as we swiftly walked down the staircases.
"Park, Kraus just crossed the wall. What's your status?"
He asked through the comms.
The walls were old, and flower printed. In front of us, was a messy heart made of red paint.
"A + J"
ANNIKA was written above it in messy, smudged letters.
There were a few blemishes here and there. The railing was cold, black metal.
Adler looked below the railing as Park tapped back in.
"Lazar and I are at the exfil point awaiting your arrival."
I had thought about not going on this mission, but I had to do it for the team.
For Adler. No more letting him down, especially when he's done so much for me.
I smiled at the thought of being home soon, laying in bed with Adler once more, just cuddling until we fall asleep.
But, he brought me out of my thought by opening the door that we reached in front of us.
I followed him into a backstreet, and he turned around to face me.

"Our intel says Kraus and Volkov will meet at the bar across the street." He moved back, while looking at me to lean against the wall.
"Meet Hudson's contact inside - she'll have a blue umbrella." He stared down the alleyway, as he waited for me to go.
"I'll stay out here and watch the street."
"Good luck, kid." He planted a kiss on my hand before I departed.
I was feeling nervous, but decided to not let that get the best of me. The buildings lit up the streets in various colors, making one jumble of colors to turn into an amazing sight to see. I almost bumped into a few people, but ended up making my way into the bar.

I looked around inside the bar, and was hit with alcohol and cigarettes. There was an old worn out piano in the left corner next to the bar. The floor had an older look to it, almost like a bathroom floor in a restaurant, or a kitchen floor. The wall held paintings of all kinds, there were fake fish hung up with a banner of flags across the wall. Each booth had it's own light. I looked around for the blue umbrella. There was a man standing in front of the bar, a few groups of people, some alone and.. Hudson's contact. I slowly made my way over to her without dragging attention to myself. The woman tapped a cigarette over the ash tray.

She smiled at me as I sat down. "My friend! I'm so happy you made it!" She said in German. I smiled back. "Kraus is at the table over my right shoulder." Instead, this time she spoke in English heavily draped by a German accent. She kept a straight face after her smile. I pulled a cigarette box out of my pocket, opening it and pretended to pull out a cigarette after activating it. I placed it on the table pointed towards Kraus as she looked at it, moving her arm away from the device.

"Good evening, sir. What can I get you?" A female waitress spoke up. "I'll have a Berliner Weisse please." He responded. "Audio is loud and clear. Now we wait for Volkov." Adler's voice boomed through my earpiece. "Hudson didn't reveal much - he said you're after Volkov?" The woman admitted as she put out her cigarette into the ash tray. Her glass clinked against her hand and slid to the middle of the table, as she awaited my response.

I nodded. "How long will Volkov be in Berlin?" I asked quietly. She looked at me, lifting her hands up for just a second to express confusion. "Who knows? The man's like a ghost. I would guess no more than a day." I tapped my hand with my other, thinking of what else to say. "The police are out in large numbers tonight." There were many cops and guards all around town, Adler and I even experienced a large handful. Kraus even had to be stopped by one. She nodded in agreeance. "One of my informants was picked up in a random sweep, just two blocks from here. The Stasi must assume there are more nearby." She moved her glass back to its original location and placed her hands on the table between us. Her fingers tapped once as a glass bottle broke. She looked to her left, and spoke quietly to make sure nobody heard or saw what was happening. Her last stop was to Kraus for a second, before looking back and pulling a paper out of her pocket and placing it on the table mid sentence. "I would ask a favor of you. He will not hold up under torture for long. We need him rescued... or silenced. They're holding him here." She slid the paper to me and I grabbed it from her, opening it up against the table for a second to see an address written on it. "I'll see what I can do." I looked back up at her. "Danke Sehr../(Thank you very much.)" Slipped her mouth with a sigh of relief as she grabbed her cup once more.

Silence, only silence between us. So I broke it. "What do you know about the courier over there?" I questioned as I took a sip from a beer in front of me. She leaned forward. "Kraus is ex-Stasi so don't let his wholesome appearance fool you; the man is a killer." She finished as Adler tapped through once more. "Heads up, Bell. I think Volkov is walking in." Her glass lifted to her mouth as a man walked in and touched Kraus' shoulder. She took a sip and Kraus spoke up. "Where is Volkov?" He questioned. "You were followed. Go home and wait for our call. There will be a new time and place. We'll take care of the tail." The man sounded worried as Kraus looked up at him. She slammed her cup on the table and looked out the window, placing her hands on one another. She gave me a quick look as the men left.

As soon as Adler spoke up, she turned around. "Bell, we've got trouble. There's two Stasi entering the bar." He said worriedly. She stared at the Stasi as I started to panic. "Get out of there, now!" He yelled over comms. "Scheisse..... Go through the bathroom, I'll hold them off." She turned around to look at me. I nodded, grabbing my device and thanking her, and promising to silence or save her friend. The Stasi walked closer as I stepped through the bathroom, quickly closing the door behind me and looking around frantically for a way to get out. "Team, new plan. Meet outside Kraus's apartment. He's still our ticket to Volkov." I looked towards a small window next to the bathroom stalls. I jumped up on a pipe as the Stasi began yelling outside of the door. I swung my legs up, kicking them out of the window and jumping out quietly.

I pulled out my 1911 and was met with the sound of sirens. There were Stasi talking amongst themselves across a black locked gate. I looked around until I found a red door. "I'm going to need more time." Adler spoke once more. The door was locked. Fuck. Good thing I know how pick locks very well. "Rally up with Lazar and Park without me. I'll update you when I can." I frowned while picking the lock. The door creaked open as I sighed, slowly pushing it away from me and walking in. There was a clean staircase above me. I took a few steps as Lazar warned me. "Careful, Bell; the are Stasi everywhere." I held my 1911 higher as I carefully walked through a doorway where an officer stood. He shined his flashlight around the area, then I pounced. I grabbed his head with one hand, and slit his through swiftly with the other hand. His body flopped and blood pooled from him. His head was bent backwards, and he made gurgling noises. I ignored him as I walked to the other side of the room.

"Is he gone?" A man spoke up in German behind a table. He was crouched, and almost covering his head. "Thank you so much! I think I'll stay here until the Stasi have left." I lowered my 1911, looking at the man. I smiled at him and left the room. "Meet me in the building across from your current position." Lazar said lowly. "Keep a low profile. We already have enough trouble." He continued. I sighed, feeling lost. My feet dragged me to the other side of the balcony I had previously stood on. I quietly dropped down, nearly alerting a guard. There were a few boxes against the wall that I used to jump up onto the roof of the tiny room next to me. There was ledge next to the building that laid against windows. I crouched to the ledge, and followed it. Praying that I wouldn't get caught. I stood against the wall as much as I could. I had began to worry about Adler, as he hadn't checked in for a while. But right as I was about to check on him, he came through with a response. "Park, gimme a sitrep." He sounded breathless and almost whispered. "I'm in a storefront facing Kraus's apartment. He just got home. You?" She spoke lowly in return to Adler. "The Stasi are combing the area. I need to lay low. I'll catch up with you when the heat dies down." I began to worry about Adler once more, but knew he was capable of handling multiple problems at once. "Bell, get to Park and Lazar ASAP. Out." He finished his sentence. I frowned once more, my stomach turned. I just wanted him to be safe.

One guard stood to close for comfort as I continued to walk forward. My feet stayed quiet and low to the ground. I crouched to the guard, and stood swiftly as I grabbed him by the neck and stabbed him in the chest. His body almost fell out of my grasp, but I moved it behind a truck before anyone could see. In front of me, there was another door in front of me. This one was grey, and rusted. It had bolts and nuts everywhere. The door was locked, and I was successfully able to open it, but it was more difficult than the other one. I opened the door, trying to do it without causing a ruckus. There was a little hallway before an old metal staircase lead down to a small room. I crouched behind the rusty metal railing on my way down. One guard was smoking at a wooden table that looked like it could fall apart with a blow of wind. He had been staring at something. Another was reading something at a half circular wooden table, in front of a big circular gas tank. To the left of the guard was a man tied up on a folding chair. "Tch.." I whispered to myself. These Germans..

"Just let me go.." The man begged breathlessly. I shot the 2 guards before walking over to the man. Another guard was sleeping on a chair next to him. So, I shot that one in the head too. He looked up at me. "You? I've seen your picture. They're looking for you." I turned to him after grabbing some extra ammo. I slowly walked to him and knelt in front of him. "What happened?" I put my 1911 in my holster. "I've been monitoring a nearby KGB field house. I don't know how they found me; I've done everything by the book." He lifted his head tiredly. His eye was purple and black. I realized this was the man Greta was talking about that she wanted me to save or silence. I was running on a tight schedule here, so I decided to save him. I reached around him and cut the ropes around his wrists with the knife in the side of my boot. "Thank you for saving my life." He stood up and rubbed his wrists. I nodded, standing with him and putting my knife back into my boot. "I'll be waiting to hear from you." I waved to him, pulling my 1911 back out and making my way up the stairs that I came from.

There was metal scaffolding to my left, with coverage from dumpsters, boxes, pieces of wood, and vehicles. I took a quick look around before making my way under the scaffolding. I ran too fast, as a guard almost caught me. My breath hitched from anxiety. I put my 1911 back into my holster once more and caught up to my breath. The guards flashlight shone at the ground in front of his feet. My hand laid on my knife as I slowly crouched closer, soon grabbing him from the face, covering his mouth. I stabbed his side multiple times with my knife, letting his body slump from my grip. My foot planted on his back, keeping him down as I pulled my 1911 out, shooting him in the head. I breathed heavily and quickly turned to the side of him, throwing up next to his body.

I haven't eaten since breakfast, this all isn't good for the baby. I groaned, standing up from my slumped over position. Lights flashed around the town. Before I could get caught, I wiped my mouth and made my way to the green door. I walked through the hallway with my 1911 lowered in one hand. Lazar opened up another door down the hallway and looked at me. "Good work. I don't think anyone saw you. Follow me." He moved to the side and I trudged down the hallway behind him. He closed the door, jamming a chair under the doorknob. I stared at him as he pulled out a 1911 alongside me, cocking it back. "Stay quiet, we don't want the locals ratting us out." He said lowly. I watched him pass me through a large hallway to a double door. We both lowered our weapons as we walked through a small plaza between buildings.

My shoes got wet from the puddles, as it continued to rain. There were bushes in an oval shape with a small metal black fence surrounding them. In the middle, there was another bush with two fountains on each side. Benches were scattered around the area, with multiple residents belongings. The streetlights were dim and created atmosphere around Lazar and I. "Park's in the electronics store right across the street from Kraus's place." He snapped me out of my thoughts and we continued to walk. Lazar turned to look at me, keeping his pace. "I was gonna pick her up knackwurst from Der Braunbar, but it's closed already." He sighed out. I smiled at him and giggled lightly. He shrugged lightly and smiled back, turning around.

We walked for a few more seconds before he turned back to me again. "Park is just up ahead." I nodded as he turned back to his position, continuing to walk down an arched alley way. He hid his 1911 behind his back while passing an open gate, moving to an apartment and opening the door. I quietly followed behind, pulling a camera out of my pocket. "We're back." Lazar smiled to Park. She turned around, a stern look on her face. She knelt in front of a table with TV's, computers, and more on a table in front of a display table. She had a headset on that was connected to a listening device pointed to Kraus's apartment. "A car pulled up near Kraus's building a few minutes ago, but I didn't have a good angle to... Just a moment, Kraus is on the telephone." She took her headset off, turning up the device loud enough for us to hear. She looked back at his window as he spoke. "...I know fucking procedure; no one followed me through the checkpoint." I scoffed lowly.

"Bell, get eyes on Kraus." Lazar spoke up from next to me. I pulled my camera out from my spot, zooming in on his window. "The briefcase is secure. It's been with me the entire time." I steadied my camera, and took a few shots. He stood in his room, his phone touching his face. He looked around slightly, and nodded. "Where and when?" He spoke to the person over the phone again. "Yes, I know the place." Kraus looked down at the telephone, then out the window. "I'll be careful." I took another photo of him before putting my camera back into my pocket. "What do you think, Lazar?" Park smiled at him, placing her hand on her knee. Lazar knelt down, away from the window in front of Park. "Sounds like Volkov wants Kraus's briefcase. We should place a tracker in it. That case will lead us straight to Volkov." He stood up, and hid behind the wall next to the display window. "One of us can sneak into Kraus's apartment. Avoiding Kraus and his wife might be the greater challenge." Her head jerked with the sentence the finished out. "Bell volunteers." Lazar had a smug look on his face. "W-What?!" I whisper yelled. "I'm not ready for this, you know the state I'm in, Lazar! I-" He cut me off, looking at me. "While she's doing that I'll check around the exterior for any unwanted guests." Park nodded as Lazar walked away. "Park, you can keep an eye on us from here. I'll try to give you my best angles." Park smiled at me. "Lovely." She replied to Lazar. I slowly made my way to the door, getting more frightened with every step.

"Hey.." Park stopped me. I turned to her before walking out the door. "You'll be okay. It should be easy. We're all here for you. I'm watching through the window and listening, Lazar is keeping Stasi and others away from you, and Adler is keeping off others. You've got us behind you. Just keep calm and you'll get out of there in tip top shape. If you start to panic, remember what I said. Okay, love?" I nodded, keeping my quivering lip from going any further. My eyes shut for a second, as I took a breath. I decided to keep what Park said in the front of my head, and to think of Adler to help calm me down whenever I get anxious. I opened my eyes, opening the door and closing it behind me carefully. "The Stasi are stopping everyone, be careful." I gulped at her comment. I walked across the wet street, tram lines crossing the cement. Small tree leaves shook in the wind on the base of the bark. I looked left and right before crossing, looking at a car stopped behind to Stasi men. I took a deep breath in and out. I made my way to the entrance of the apartment complex as Park piled more onto me. "Bell, I saw Kraus writing in a ledger. See if you can find it." I sighed, opening the door and began to walk down the hallway, hoping to pass the receptionist without her noticing me. "Bell, if you're spotted by Kraus or his wife, the mission is over." I held in a suppressed cough as I passed down the hallway to a staircase leading up to Kraus' apartment room. "You can tranq the wife if you have to, but Kraus must go to the meeting." She sounded firm.

I nearly shit myself at all of her recent sentences since I left the electronics store. "I'm about to phone Kraus' apartment. Get ready to enter." I stopped next to a room that had a blue umbrella in a tin can. I quietly picked the lock to his apartment as Park called the apartment. I crouched, opening the door and pulling out the tranquillizer. "Nice work, now find the briefcase." It almost sounded like she was smiling. I looked around, making sure nobody was near me. The phone rang loudly, and I made my way into the kitchen, staring at Kraus' wife from behind. "Hello?" She picked up the phone in German. "I'm sorry, there's no Freyja here." Her hands moved with annoyance. "Well, yes, that's my number but I'm afraid..." Park cut her off, saying something in return. "Edda, can you find my umbrella? I'll be leaving in a few minutes." Kraus shouted down the stairs. I got scared, as she turned from the phone. "Yes, Franz. It's right here in the living room. I'll put it by the front door." She returned to him. What..? Why would he need that if he has one out the door. I shook my head, attempting to remove the stupid questions and thoughts I had in my head currently, just trying to focus on the mission and maintaining my stealth. "Mama, I can't find my blanket." A little boy sweetly said in German. "I'll be up in a few minutes, William." Edda replied in the same sweet voice. That must be their son..

I watched her walk to the door from the kitchen as Park came through my earpiece. "Shit, we missed the kid." She sounded angry, but also worried. Kraus spoke quietly from upstairs, and Edda made her way back to the living room, sitting on the couch. I snuck behind the wall, and shot the tranquilizer needle at his wife, waiting for her to pass out. I panicked, and laid her on her side to make it appear that she had fallen asleep. The needle stuck out of her neck, and I removed it, placing it in my pocket. I sighed of relief and quietly crouched up the stairs. The wood creaked below my feet. I almost blew my cover, by being scared to death by their son hearing my walk up the stairs and speaking up. "Dad, are you coming?" He questioned. I panicked once more, and walked into a room across from me to hide. "Kraus is leaving his office! Hide!" Park warned me. "Thanks, but I'm already on that. The kid almost caught me as I was walking up the stairs and it scared the shit out of me, nearly blew my cover." I whispered lowly and sighed. The door shut behind me and I hid in the corner of the room, away from the light.

"Brush your teeth, I'll be up shortly." Kraus responded to his son. "Don't let Kraus see you." The floor creaked and he appeared to be coming closer. I held my breath and listened carefully. His footsteps became more distant, so I carefully snuck out of the room and into his office. He left the door open. "Dad, I'm all done!" The boy yelled down to his father. I quietly moved the door as I stood up, scanning the area. "I've lost sight of Kraus every time he enters that room. Have a look around." Park sounded worried. I turned the black light on that I had, and looked around for any fingerprints. "You're running out of time. Find the briefcase." She was right, I was. I quickly looked behind me, finding a handprint. I lined up my hand with it, pushing my hand on it. I looked around until I found a painting. I toyed with it, then the wall opened.

I stopped before walking in. "I've lost your visual." I took a step in. The room was dark, and had photos strung across strings the ceiling. It was a rather compact room. With little time left, I looked around, finding a lightbulb. I pulled the metal line down, which beamed a red light around me. The room was filled, but I didn't have time to stop and mess around. On the table in front of me sat a briefcase. I put away the tranquilizer as I walked towards it. I slowly unlocked it and opened it. There laid some money, a passport, some papers and a folder. There were also.. pictures of nukes in it..? I moved stuff around and looked through it, thoughts racing through my head. "Bell, have you found the briefcase?" Park snapped me out of my thoughts. "There are photos of what appear to be nukes." It felt like I was sweating bullets as I slid a part of the briefcases fabric to the side. "Understood. Just plant the tracker and get out of there." I swallowed the spit that built up in my mouth from nervousness, and placed the tracker in the space I opened. As soon as I closed the briefcase, a voice came from the closet. I became scared, not knowing what it was. I looked around, making sure nobody was there. The red light radiated on the closet door, I stepped closer. Upon opening the door, I found Greta tied up and screaming for help behind duct tape. I put my hand out to her, as she nudged her body forward. I turned around, to see Kraus behind me with a pistol. Before I can do anything, he hit me in the head with it. My vision went blurry as he wiped his pistol off with his sleeve.

My head pounded as I woke up tied in a chair. "You allowed her to break into your apartment?" A man spoke in front of me. I stared at my feet as my vision slowly came back. I looked up and saw Kraus speaking to a man with white hair. Greta sat next to me, tied in a chair just like me. Then, I saw the man I helped standing behind Kraus. Fuck. "I-I can't explain it- how she got to the materials. But I brought her to you." Kraus stuttered, pointing his hand at us. He pointed back to the man. My vision began to go dark again, then he spoke up. "That makes this much less unpleasant for you. Perseus has been looking for this one." He turned to me. I could barely make out his face. "Then you'll let Perseus know I captured her?" Kraus brought his hand to his chest. A soviet soldier stood next to Greta with a gun. "We have Greta Keller as well. Her own colleague ratted her out." Kraus motioned his hand to the kid that stood behind him. Greta shot forward, almost staring knives at the man.

"You spineless piece of shit." She snarled. "I'm sorry, Greta. The KBG's pockets are deeper." He snickered, his hands moving with his sentence. "Ah, finally." The man turned to me again. I watched as he walked over to me, pulling up a chair to sit in front of me. Our faces nearly touched before I realized that this man was Volkov. "Perseus has a large bounty on your head." I looked at him directly in his eyes, ready to attack him. But I was restricted. "Go fuck yourself." I barked out at him. He smiled, turning to the soldier and nodded his head at Greta. The man nodded back and grabbed Greta by the neck, cracking it until she died. "No.." I whispered. "She gets it easy." He sounded angry. "Do not tempt me to bring out my toys." His face became stern. "I will ask again. Who do you work for?" I bit my lip, thinking of what to say. I couldn't say it, not even if it killed me. "I'm not saying shit." I spat out. "What kind of fool are you?" Volkov stood, not breaking eye contact. He kicked my chair over, walking closer. I hit the floor with a loud thud, and a grunt. My head made contact with the concrete and the fall knocked the wind out of me. "Do you think you will die with dignity here?"

Oh, please Adler. Don't leave me here like this.. I was ready to shut my eyes, to squint them. But then, Volkov put his foot on my chair, towering over me. "You are damaged goods. Only a grave can cure a hunchback." He growled lowly. His leg lowered, as he pulled out a pistol. I then squinted my eyes,. Then out of nowhere, the glass above us shattered. We all looked up as smoke filled the room. Volkov yelled at his soldiers and the two other men, as he moved away from my chair. Bullets began to fly across the room and the smoke became more apparent. Kraus ran with his briefcase, and soldiers began to fall. I looked up to see Volkov get shot in the right shoulder. He ran as he yelled, "Kill them!" People began to descend from the roof, and I looked around the smoke. A soldier in front of my chair was shooting until he got shot in the head. Park ran through the smoke, and over to me. She quickly bent down, untying me from the ropes and lifted me up off the floor. "I'll secure the case. Get Volkov." She handed me an MP5. I nodded as we ran in opposite directions.

I walked towards Adler, and he turned around to me. We made eye contact and he motioned me in front of him. "We'll talk more later. I'm just glad you're alive and okay. I told you, I wouldn't leave you behind or let anything happen to you." I smiled and lifted my MP5, moving forward to kill soldiers. Adler and Lazar followed behind, helping me in the fight. We swiftly made our way through, killing men, helping each other, shooting some explosive barrels, and just trying to make it through them as quickly as we could to catch up to Volkov. "We can't let Volkov escape!" Park yelled through the comms. "Volkov went through there! Bell, take him out!" Adler screamed from behind me. I was scared, but all soldiers were dead. "He's more valuable alive, Bell! Don't kill him!" Park returned in regards to Adler's comment. I killed the last soviet soldier that stood in the doorway that Volkov ran through. Adler and I ran through the door, me going first. I turned the corner, weapon raised. A stun came my way, and exploded in front of me as I covered my face. More soldiers came around the corner, and I shot them to the best of my ability.

I turned the corner, looking straight at Volkov. I kept my weapon raised, planning to kill him. He panted against the door, and slumped over slightly. My pace quickened and I stared him down. He turned to look at me, tossing his 1911 to the side. "So here we are, you and I." He breathed out. I pointed my gun at him, then I remembered what Park said. I captured him before he could even say anything more. He hunched over, and I grabbed his wrist, pulling him in front of me and grabbing his back. Adler stood in front of me, lowering his weapon. Park ran around the corner with Lazar soon following. "At last! Bell, on behalf of M16..." She put her 1911 in her pocket "thank you.." She continued. Adler walked forward to Volkov, staring at him. Park looked at Adler. "Volkov is ours." She then turned back to Volkov. "More than he deserves. Now let's get the hell out of East Berlin." Adler said lowly as they turned away. They began walking, and I followed, holding Volkov in my grasp.

I trudged, feeling tired. Physically and mentally. On one note I also felt like I was going to fall asleep. Adler and I went to bed late the previous night and got up early. It had to have been about 12 A.M. right now, or at least around there. Out of nowhere, they all stopped. Lazar turned and moved closer to me, grabbing Volkov from under my grip, and Park smiled at me. I weakly smiled back to her, giving up Volkov to Lazar. "I told you that you'd be okay. You did good." She walked in front of me with Lazar, and began asking Volkov some questions. Adler stood back and looked at me, holding out his hand in front of me for me to grab a hold of. I accepted his offer and held his hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone." We began walking together behind Park, Lazar and Volkov. "I'm alright. I did okay, I think. I was just overwhelmed and almost got caught by a guard at one point. I had also worn myself out a little too much. Little one made me throw up." I hesitated to respond to Adler. "You threw up?" Oops. "Yeah, it's no big deal. We all throw up some times, right? You can't tell me you haven't thrown up on a mission at least once. In your line of work, and how long you've been in it for? Come on." I yawned, feeling the wearout of today. "There's a difference. You're pregnant. Just tell me next time." He said sternly. "I will." I turned back around to look in front of us, and Park nearly looked like a child on Christmas day.

Every time Park asked a question, he would just ignore most, or make a "Tsk..". Volkov wasn't having it, but Park annoyed him so much at one point that he just spoke up. I giggled at this.

~
We finally reached the car, and I had thought back to Greta for whatever reason. She really was a sweet girl, it was my fault she died. She didn't deserve to go like that, especially not because of me. Or that colleague of hers. I should have killed him.. I groaned as I stepped into the passenger seat, moving my seat down as far as I could without bothering the person behind me. We all hopped in, Volkov behind me. The doors were locked and his hands were tied. Park had previously treated his wounds so that he didn't die during the journey.
After a few exchanged sentences, I slowly drifted to sleep during the car ride.

~
I stirred as I felt myself get lifted. A door slammed as quietly as possible as I was picked up. My eyes opened ever so slightly to Adler carrying me. I drifted back to sleep for a few minutes, until I was placed into a bed and the covers were pulled over me. My clothes felt different, and my hair was down, after previously being tied up during the mission. I looked down, spotting myself in my pajamas. A smile crept up on my face.
Adler..
Speak of the devil..
He slid into bed next to me, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. I turned to face him, and he laid on his back. His room suddenly became dark as his lamp clicked off. He pulled me into his arms, my head and right hand on his chest. "Where's Volkov..?" I whispered tiredly.

"Don't worry, kid. Park and Lazar are handling that issue right now. As for you, go to sleep. You've worn yourself out. I'm proud of you, you did a good job." I smiled into his chest as he said that. My heart melted into organ soup. He placed a kiss onto my forehead, a steady pace of his heartbeat pumping through his chest. "Goodnight, Russell.." I yawned, closing my eyes as I began to fall asleep.
"Goodnight, Bell." He said in return. His fingers ran through my hair and I drifted off to sleep, thinking of everything that happened and was said today.

-- A/N
not much to say here either, sorry for the delay once more. hope y'all enjoy. this is another mission chapter, some improvision. about 9,150 words without my authors note. I'm working on my other three, just had to get this bad boy out. started writing it, couldn't stop. took me all day to brainstorm and type it all. anyways..
stay frosty ! :))
love y'all !