SISO Facility, Eastern seaboard of the European Union
09:30
Ian Skyes
He walked the tiled passage on the second floor of the SISO divisions facility on the eastern board. The Special International Security Operations was built in response to the rising conflicts across nations. A countermeasure for responding and advancing into the shadows of other lands that were deemed potentially able to cause darkness over the union. And since the government believed, that a union isn't formed when governments join hands but when the people join hands, they were stricter with their procedures.
He walked past a pair of patrol guards briskly, making his way through the maze. He was here for a mission briefing, a follow-up on their past failures. His past failures. But this time, he was told that he was to fly overseas, just as he had predicted.
He made another turn into a long passage with a single door, at its end. The door was bare, unanmed. Two-inch thick bulletproof panels lined it and a soundproof system was built over the room. Mission briefings were to be carried out as discreetly and securely as possible. And a set of few responsive safety systems were on the clock around this one.
He presented his identity card to the reader and after a quick scan, the screen lit green, reading 'ACTIVE'. A glass panel covering another set of readers opened and he presented his thumb and then stood facing it to complete the paired fingerprint and facial recognition. After a comparison that took a few seconds, the locks on the door clicked open and he pushed it open.
The room was nearly bare. Appealing and up to date, but bare. A simple rectangular space for preparing up. At the main table were seated four people. Mrs. Liz along with Ash Wing, Charles Coulson, and a woman he couldn't help recognizing, Camille Swanne.
"Morning Agents," he said.
"Welcome, Skyes. Come, have a seat," Miss Liz responded.
He pulled a chair and settled as she proceeded to begin. They each had a black leather dossier in front of them, bearing a red seal reading Dietrich Ziegler. He opened his, and over the pages was a pamphlet bearing the map of West Asia, highlighting Ziegler's territory and places frequently used by him, underneath a photo of him.
"So, we are almost there right?"
"Not almost Ian. We are completely there. I wouldn't risk, honestly speaking, leaving anything solely up to you except the on-field action."
"No, you wouldn't. So, what have I got."
Charles Coulson tapped a few keys on the laptop and a projector lit up, showing the satellite imaging of Ziegler's territory.
"Ziegler has a completely isolated settlement at the borders of Algeria and Tanzania, surrounded by forest, river, and sea. Since we will not be aware on which territory we would be operating, we will not risk damaging international relations by acting over the border."
He nodded to signal that he was with it, and thus Coulson continued.
"Thus, we will be acting out of that area, particularly here," he said as he pressed another key and the slide changed. It now showed a three-floor casino with a heading outlined by red lights. 'Casa De Riesgo' it read. "This is one of the casinoes Ziegler owns. Casa De Riesgo, literally, The House of Risks. Located on the west of the rivers, three kilometers southwest of the river that leaves Zieler's land to be particular. This is used mostly for high-order games and parties that Ziegler occasionally holds."
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The Shadows of Peace - Battle Cries
Mystery / ThrillerFive years left to the third millennium. A span easily covered. But the world isn't as it was before. It has quarreled, it has bled and it has suffered. But more importantly, it has changed. Forgotten and forgiven. Earth has been the prey of damag...
