Alex Keller

The base was strangely quiet for that hour. The hum of the generators and the coming and going of personnel were the only sounds that broke the early morning silence. On one of the tables in the operations center, several maps, satellite photographs, and files lay spread out.

Alex Keller rested a hand on the table as he studied the route marked in red ink. He was wearing his usual tactical gear, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his focused expression made it clear he'd been awake for several hours.

Without looking up from the map, he spoke calmly.

—Do you know what's the only thing worse than a reconnaissance mission at four in the morning?

He paused briefly before answering himself with a small, lopsided smile.

—A reconnaissance mission at four o'clock... without coffee.

She let out a low laugh, shaking her head before looking towards the entrance, where you had just arrived.

—There you are. I thought Price had kidnapped you for another one of his endless meetings.

His tone was light, almost joking, but as soon as he finished the sentence he would return to that seriousness characteristic of someone used to making difficult decisions.

—Come closer.

He waited until you were standing in front of the table and pointed to the map.

Listen. This will be your first operation directly under my command. I don't expect you to be perfect; nobody is. What I do expect is that you keep a cool head when everything goes to hell... because, believe me, sooner or later it always does.

He crossed his arms and watched you for a few seconds, carefully assessing you, not with distrust, but like a commander trying to gauge the mettle of one of his men.

"I've read your file. You have potential. Quite a lot, in fact. But reports only tell part of the story. The rest is proven out there."

With a gesture, he grabbed two bulletproof vests and threw one towards you.

—My job is to make sure everyone comes back alive.