The Berlin Brigade. An imposing military compound, smack dab in the middle of the city that never sleeps. The streets thrummed with the heartbeat of perpetual motion, and the buildings whispered tales of triumph and strife. Gale's eyes scanned the product of the electric typewriter over her reading glasses. She never needed reading glasses, these having no lenses, but they served as a good prop. It gave the impression of someone deep in scholarly work, even though Gale didn't require assistance. Artificiality was sometimes necessary to get her way, particularly if she hoped to incite the right emotions.

Gale, under her government name Gayle Tanner, worked in the Berlin Brigade as a records keeper, her military career in recordkeeping and organizational skills a perfect pretext to access the resources she needed. Though an Army installation, Tanner, an E6 (Petty Officer, First Class), was stationed there for a Naval Intelligence Operation. Launching a Naval operation from Crete would not only be too remote but raise too many eyebrows. However, launching a Naval operation from Europe would be far less conspicuous, with the infrastructure already in place for communication and covert activities.

The office itself was spacious, with grey furniture, and an impressive archival system that lined the walls. The scent of fresh paper and ink permeated the space. Gale kept a small desk positioned snugly in the far corner adjacent to the window. In her casual naval fatigues, she read the details from a recent action report, but there were scant few, "Saudi F-15 misidentified the USS Arleigh Burke as an enemy vessel and launched a fatal attack. Seven US soldiers were killed, while twenty-one were wounded. Non-combat casualties."

Closing her eyes to imagine a more palpable narrative, she retyped the report, "Seven dead in a chopper accident during training. The chopper had an engine failure that resulted in the craft bursting into flames upon crash landing on the deck. The resulting fire ball left no survivors, consuming the brave men within. First responders risked life and limb to save them, resulting in twenty-one casualties, mostly burns."

Gale's slender fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind lingering on the fiery scene of destruction she had so casually typed. The thunderous sound of an explosion echoed in her ears alongside the voices of those unfortunate soldiers' screams.

Chief Dennis Goodspeed squinted in disbelief as he entered the records pool, catching Gale mid-sentence. His eyes glanced over her shoulder and oral expression faltered, his wide eyes incited quick interest, scrutinizing each word meticulously. "Tanner, why are you on my base?" Chief Goodspeed's voice boomed, his ebony skin gleaming under the artificial office light.

Gale swiveled to face him, plastering a winning smile. "I could ask you the same, Chief. This is after all, an Army Base." she retorted, her large piercing green eyes glinting with playful mischief.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he rubbed his bald head, hiding graying stubble - the only outward sign of age. "Alright, Tanner," he relented, sliding a stack of files onto her desk. "But if anyone asks, you're working on submitting your E7 package."

Gale cocked a brow at the chief, surprised by such leniency. She nodded slowly, then shifted her attention to the files. "I'll need to check these for anything unusual," she murmured, riffling through the folder's contents.

Chief Goodspeed nodded. "Of course, Tanner. So, uh, I read your records earlier. Impressive stuff, I must say. Your aptitude for strategy and leadership is unmistakable, but there's something that intrigues me about your extracurricular activities." Chief Goodspeed said, unable to mask his curiosity about Gale's classified operations.

He leaned against her desk, arms crossed, weighing his words carefully, before continuing. "Not to pry, but you've got quite a colorful record. Lots of discrepancies. If I may ask, what do you do on most of these, colorful, missions?" Chief Goodspeed questioned, his bafflement growing as he rifled through the bizarre nature of the classified files. Sliding his fingers down pages, he inspected several redacted occurrences.

Gale continued to flip through the files, plucking out several pages to analyze. "I'm an asset, Chief. My purpose is to protect American interests using my unique abilities." She chuckled after repeating her standard, rote response. "Truthfully, me and my C.O. visit people, and ask them, quite politely, to stop breathing." Gale smiled and folded her hands, leaning back in her chair.

Chief Goodspeed raised a brow. "Back in my day, we didn't feel the need to be polite." He chuckled.

"You, Chief?" Gale arched a makeup darkened eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the revelation. "Recruiting, or revisiting old ghosts?" Her vibrant green eyes twinkled with intrigue.

"Ghosts, Tanner, ghosts." Chief Goodspeed sighed, his broad shoulders sagging as the memories weighed heavily upon him. He looked weary, his ebony skin betraying the years and miles that had taken their toll. "I was just, worried, that they were having you, use your feminine wiles. You don't have to, you know, use them." He hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "I just don't want you to be exploited. I know how it feels to be a valuable asset and not be given the respect or protection you deserve."

Gale leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk, carefully considering Chief Goodspeed's words. Truthfully, her abilities went far beyond seduction, and she took great care not to exploit her femininity. But his concern touched her, as did his admission about his own past.

"Thank you, Chief, for your concern," Gale said sincerely. "I can assure you that I am not being exploited. My abilities are unique, and I have the utmost respect for myself and my mission. I am happy to be of service, and I am well taken care of."

The chief nodded, seemingly satisfied with Gale's response. "Alright, Tanner. Just remember, if you ever need anything, I'm here for you."

"I appreciate that, Chief," Gale said gratefully.

Just then, a hand, one of a young male, knocked on the doorframe from outside. Silently, it opened full, showing five digits, indicating she had five minutes.

In the military, time had a way of slipping away just when you didn't want to waste any. Gale slipped the papers back into the envelope, licked the seal, and tossed it in the outgoing pile before walking out of the door. "Sorry Chief, duty calls." Gale smiled, placing her hands on his forearm and sliding them down to his hand. The grasp was firm and professional, yet there was a touch of warmth and familiarity between them. There were codes and rules for how they interacted, the most important being that everything was predicated on lies.

"I need to speak with my Commanding Officer. They're expecting me," Gale said, giving the Chief a slight nod. She turned and strode out of the room, a determined look on her face.

---

Gale breezed through the hallway, her gaze sharp and focused as she made her way to the command center. She passed by various personnel all deeply engrossed in their own tasks, be it typing furiously on their typewriters, or answering phones with an emotionless monotone. The military humored a facade of decorum when everyone had their secrets, their own dramas, and alternate motives.

As she entered the command center, all activity ceased momentarily as she walked in with an air of supreme confidence.

"And that concludes your details about the mission Lieutenant Baker," A commander that was half in shadow and smoke finished. He moved an ownerless fedora out of his way before starting again, "Now, the broad strokes. Your targets, 1 Latvian male - 54 years old, 1 Latvian female - 53 years old, are in Latvia. No surprise there. While in many respects travel restrictions have eased since the fall of the Berlin Wall, we must proceed carefully to avoid drawing unwanted attention from local law enforcement and neighboring countries,” the Commander spoke with an ominous tone.

The Commander's gruff features were barely visible in the dimly lit room, with only a single solitary desk lamp casting a dull glow on his sunken cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he revealed a satellite image of the Latvian countryside, pinpointing an isolated home in a sea of tall pines. He continued, "Fortunately, Tanner has an asset, Johannes Crowe, who has procured the appropriate papers and means to get you to Warsaw by ground transport. From there, you are to meet with one of Crowe's assets, Omar Baymatov, who will arrange for you to be driven the rest of the way in one of his company trucks." The Commander said, the tension palpable in the air as he handed over the location and description of the targets. "The specifics of your mission and the details of the targets are for your eyes only, Lieutenant. Securing transport to the targets and avoiding detection are Tanner's purview."

The Commander paused, scrutinizing the Lieutenant's expression, searching for any hint of doubt or hesitation. Seeing none, he continued, "Once you arrive at the property, you are to set up at the location provided. It should provide you with a clear line of sight to the targets. When you, Tanner, and the targets are in position, the targets are to be eliminated swiftly, and with extreme prejudice. You are then to proceed to the primary extraction site, on the coast, where you will be extracted by sea." The commander's voice was cold and detached, as if he were simply discussing a routine military exercise rather than a lethal assassination mission.

Gale listened attentively; her gaze locked on the commander's face. The gravity of the mission was not lost on her. She had been tasked with taking the lives of two people, a task that weighed heavily on her conscience. But she had sworn an oath to defend her country, and if that meant making difficult and morally ambiguous choices, then so be it.