I've been swimming for thirty minutes straight; concerned I’d miss this cave entrance to this secret base and somehow end up washed up by the strong currents of the black sea. My oxygen supply was holding up pretty well, as long as I kept up my takes of breath even and shallow.

It was completely dark underneath the surface and the little waterproof torch I had attached with a clip to my hip was no help at all. I swam with my eyes closed; it was not practical but enough to keep me going. It was either face my watery fears or reach the final few feet I had left to reach.

And by God, my limbs were burning by the time I reached the cave. It was easy to miss, if it wasn’t for the dark pit I eventually spotted after much inspection when the rocky cliffs came into view. I needed to get out of this pickle asap, swimming was never my strong suit and I couldn’t stop imagining myself drowning.

I threw myself towards the underwater cave, ready to pull a muscle with the amount of strain I was placing on myself with my hurried movements. I found it spectacular what I was willing to do when I was really pushed to my limits. Guess it was all just part of my training.

By the time I reached the cave I was able to pull myself through it by grabbing onto the sides and pulling myself through the small gap. This entrance was a secret one in, designed only for one person to pass through at a time. It got much smaller towards the end, barely making this experience a pleasant one. Whoever designed this man-made tunnel clearly didn’t have comfort in mind with creating it.

I finally hit fresh air on the other side of the tunnel, emerging out of the water, thrashing like a dog who’d just gone for a swim.

I reached the edge of the cave, wanting to get out of the water ASAP.

There were lights built into the ceiling of the cave I found myself in, bright enough to see what was in front of my face. I think I could see storage shelves and a railing, maybe there was some food being kept around if I was lucky.

Since I hadn't heard any footsteps approaching, I jumped out of the freezing water onto the dry rock and started stripping from my gear. Under my diving suit was a skin-tight another suit that left my legs and my arms bare.

I'd grown since my OSS days, I had clear muscles, more defined than an average female would like and rock-solid thighs. It wasn't often that I took the time to take in my appearance, it was more of a tool these days that I needed to keep in form condition to do the job that I did.

Remembering my ear communicated I left in my diving suit, I called in to feed Maria an update. Can’t leave her thinking I was dead again.

Ring … Ring … She picked up.

“Lenore, are you all right?” Worry was all over her voice, and she didn't sound as polished as she did before I dived into the ocean. She sounded more like how she did in Normandy, friendly and concerned for her old captain. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, I made it in, wasn’t easy,” I told her whilst keeping an eye my surroundings.

“You were swimming for an hour straight, in freezing cold waters. You need to keep warm or else your body may go into shock, and you don't deal with shock very well," She explained.

I hummed back at that, thinking back to the time I was caught in a grenade blast on the Normandy battlefield. Maria and Able dragged me out of the field by my elbows, I had already gone into shock the moment I hit the ground from the blast. If it wasn’t for them, I might have not been alive today.

I shook my head and tuned back into the call. “A little water isn't going to shock me so easily ..."

“It could be a delayed shock, you were swimming for nearly an hour straight," Maria insisted.

"It felt shorter than that," I said, but Maria sounded certain about her theory. I took Maria’s word for it, I figured it couldn't hurt to warm myself up.

I stretched a little, increasing my body temperature just enough to loosen up my muscles. This mission was going to be hard work. I was instructed to execute this one naked, meaning I couldn't bring my own ammunition, or equipment. Everything I needed I had to find on site, regardless of how.

I figured I'd have to slit a few guards on my way in, and steal everything on their person. My lips twitched at the thought, a small habit that I developed when I last visited the OSS.

Soon after I was done, I searched for the belt I left behind on my wet suit, taking it with me. Then looked around for any other possible routes that could be hidden. If I went down the tunnel it wouldn’t be easy to sneak past any patrolling guards in the area. I had to consider my options here.

“Maria, are you still there?" I asked.

"Whenever you need me, I’m here,”

"Are there any other exits in my current location?”

“You’ll have to go down the tunnel, then you’ll have to reach the complex from there. After that you’re going to have to gather more area information from there … I suggestion you start from the guards themselves and see what they know,”

Would we have it any other way? “… Right,”

“Stay safe Lenore. Please,” She said, I didn’t respond to that. Stay safe? What did she think this was? I had to be cold otherwise Maria would get the wrong idea about me. I needed her to be focused, and un concerned about me.

I clicked the ear piece off and stood up tall, ready to move closer into enemy territory. With nothing but a hand knife, I made my way down into the deep tunnel, submerging myself into the darkness that collected there.

I can’t say I was scared; I was above base emotions such as fear. I lived close to death daily, and no one could reverse that experience. In consequence that lead me to believe I was becoming more of a force rather than a person, sent out to bases like these to either take it down or hinder the operations that were carried out within them.

I did wonder if Sigma ever thought the same about himself. It’s just that … since Hiroshima I have been having these strange thoughts lately … thoughts about the weight of my actions, something a soldier should not concern themselves with.

Maria Sail becoming my intel officer was no coincidence, this was life itself testing me. A test on my moral.

But what good was moral on the battlefield when there were orders that needed to be followed.

...

Sigma was caught sabotaging the last mission he was sent on before retiring. He was sent to Austria to assassinate a politician that was travelling to Germany to attend the Berlin Olympics. Sigma was successful in his deviancy, convinced that it would be the only way to maintain peace if he refused to go through with his mission.

But this disappointed his superiors, forcing them to remove Sigma from his duties to keep up their strict reputation amongst other splinter groups in America's secret security organisation.

He was only then allowed to return after many years when a particular ex-personnel member vouched for his return ... Kraken never told me who, or why this person’s word was important enough for generals to oblige. And he didn't seem to know the details of what this person did for America to put their faith back in Sigma again.

Whoever they were, they must have been important.