Redamancy ✷ Simon Riley

Prologue

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𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞
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❝𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦?❞

❝1-4-1.❞

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The natural glow of light the sun produced came beaming down from the sky, streaming just enough light into the cafe windows. No artificial light bulbs needed to be turned on with a single switch. No lights needed to be flipped on for where both Captain John Price and Kate Laswell were seated.

The spruce window frames were geometric in shape, creating a unique style and drawing any civilian's attention. The cafe was sure to be pitch black in the middle of the night with no light source but the moons.

On the circular table where Price and Laswell were positioned sat two porcelain tea cups of tea. The porcelain had been delicately decorated on the outside with blue paint. Swirls and mirrored patterns banded around the teacups while hot ribbons of steam rose from the liquid.

Laying flat on the surface of the table was a tawny leather file binder containing card files of thoughtfully selected and skilled soldiers with pages upon pages of their confidential missions from over the years. These sheets of paper informed authorized personnel only and were classified to people with no clearance.

These files had been personally asked for by Price and had been plucked up from their file cabinets by General Shepherd himself. They had been handed over to Kate Laswell who now had them in her grasp, present moment.

Laswell was silent as she listened to the determination and seriousness in Price's voice. With a small exhale, she moved her booted feet under the table. Leaning back in her chair, she placed both her palms on the leather binder and pushed it across the table to the man opposite from her.

With a calm expression and patient gaze, she watched as Price regarded her and tore the velcro binder open to gather the many thick card files hiding within. Sitting upright, Kate threaded her hands together on the table and glimpsed around the cafe before looking forward again.

"Who's your crew?"

From what Laswell could see, she knew there were a handful of soldiers going to be in this task force that Price wanted to recruit. Price sifted through the files before he stopped on one and brought it to the front to take it in fully.

A familiar square cut-out picture of a man was paper clipped to the outside of the file and a name on the front of the file confirmed who the man was.

"Sergeant Garrick," Price spoke, talking over the silence.

"Kyle?"

"They call him "Gaz"," The Captain informed. "He never said anything." He raised the card folder before placing it on the table so he wouldn't have to hold multiple folders at once. "John McTavish, SAS. Sniper-demolitions. Goes by "Soap"."

"Why?" Laswell curiously inquired upon hearing the name.

"That's classified," Was Price's immediate reply.

Kate didn't ask for further elaboration. If something was classified, it was simply classified and out of her reach.

Darting his blue eyes back down to the remaining files in his firm grasp, Price sifted through them and read the neat jotted name of one of them on the center of the file. A square picture was also secured to the card file by a single silver paper clip.

"Sergeant Poppy Dargie," Price read aloud for Laswell. "SAS. Been on OML and AML but came back three weeks ago."

Price placed Poppy's folder on the table with a beam before his eyes landed on another file in his hands but this time there was only a grey photo. A chuckle made the Captain's chest rumble as it traveled up his throat and escaped his mouth.

"There he is..." Price carefully turned the folder over to make sure he didn't accidentally spill the contents of what was inside. He placed the pile in front of Laswell who stared down at it. "Simon Riley."

"There's no picture."

"Never." Outstretching his free hand towards the table, Price gathered up the files of the soldiers he had placed down and put them back in one pile in his hands. "Now the rest... That's need to know. Unless we got a deal."

Kate let her eyes linger on her steaming tea before locking eyes with Price. "What are you calling this task force?"

"1-4-1," Captain Price responded with unbreakable confidence.