It's terrifying to watch. He lunges, faster than I can comprehend, but Price fights back with aggression and power. König, as big as he is, is more agile than Price.
The fight continues for longer than the others. It seems Price is a very good fighter.
König overcomes the tie for power, though, with a quick flip of Price, a knee pressed to his chest. Price, after a moment, taps out.
"König wins!" Soap shouts, and hurries to help up Price, because said winner has walked away to his water bottle, turning away to flip up his hood and drink.
"We'll meet back at the unit in an hour," Price says to everyone. "Good work today, König."
"Thanks," I hear a voice mutter, but it's quiet enough I second guess what I heard.
Ghost walks up to me as the others leave, König still in the corner, scrolling on his phone. I quickly try to avoid the situation by pulling out my own phone and walking towards the door, but Ghost catches me.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"About what?" I deadpan. I will not acknowledge my inability to run. I will not.
"This morning," he says, but I cut him off. I will not elaborate on a weakness, certainly not in front of the indestructible König.
Holding up a hand, I say, "I am fine. I just..." I fail to find an excuse, throwing a look over my shoulder at the looming man in the corner. "I just don't like running," I say quietly. "I'm better in the gym." I don't mention that I also enjoy yoga and pilates.
Ghost nods. "Well, if you want a running partner-"
I cut him off again. "Thank you, Lieutenant Riley, but I think I'll be okay."
"Ghost," he corrects.
"Ghost," I say, trying again. "I don't like exercising with other people, to be honest. I chose a non-physical job for a lot of reasons, but mainly the quietness of it all. Thank you for the offer, though."
He nods. "Fair enough. Well, I'll see you later." He heads out the door before me, and I start to follow when König appears.
Oh my god. He must have heard the entire thing. Why am I so easily embarrassed? I'm damn good at my job. I got here for a reason. I shouldn't be intimidated.
König hovers, five feet to my left. His eyes aren't on me. What is he doing?
I nod at him, leaving him to stand there in his own silence.
I get back to work. The other members in intelligence quickly get me up to speed on the mission. They're there for background support - I am Task Force 141's primary intelligence officer, their sole operations specialist. No pressure or anything.
Evidently, there is an upcoming mission in a month. The entire compound needs to be mapped out, with any possible threats or enemy forces inside.
It's hard work, and before I know it, I realize I'm absolutely starving. I'm my own supervisor, now, so I step out for a lunch break. The day's almost over, anyway, but my eyes were strained from the screen.
I brought a sandwich, nothing special, but I eat in my car, listening to music. I would be on my phone, but if I look at another screen my eyes might actually start to swell.
A truck pulls up in a spot somewhere behind me. I watch in my rearview mirror as the devil himself gets out: König.
There's a mission planning meeting in a couple of hours, and he will, unfortunately, be there. I scowl at him from the privacy of my own, tinted car, when I see his head look up in my direction. I could be imagining it, but he scowls back.
It's not long before I have to head into a conference room to talk to the team. They all gather in front of me at the table while I go over what I've learned. I answer a couple of questions, Ghost and König remaining silent the entire time.
"Well, that concludes my contribution," I say, finally. Until one voice speaks up. A quiet one.
"What makes you qualified to be in charge of this today?"
I realize I haven't heard him speak. Austrian. I feel silly with my American accent in a room full of culturally diverse people.
"Well, Colonel," I say, sticking to strict formalities, "I've successfully helped to plan 36 flying missions and 40 personnel-oriented missions at my former unit. I also have attended various courses specific to my job. I'll get my official job report to you by the end of the day for your reference." I pause. "I believe General James' judgment is the sole judgment we should rely on for the time being. It's premature to question before I've proven myself incapable."
Price grins at my response. So does Farah. Soap and Ghost give each other a look.
König doesn't respond, his dark eyes finally meeting mine for the first time. He looks pissed. And so am I.
"Any other questions?" I ask, anger seeping through my bones.
Everyone shakes their head no.
I take my seat next to Soap. Price looks at the group. "I think that was a great start to our upcoming mission planning. Flora, I appreciated your input. Team, you're dismissed."
Ghost looks up at me. "I enjoyed your expertise," he says, his eyes showing a smile beneath his mask.
I knew Ghost and König didn't like each other, but at least, for now, it's working in my favor.
As I gather my materials, it's just König and I left, again. I implore him, with my mind, to leave. I feel his eyes burning into my head, bent over my papers.
"Do you have any other questions, sir?" I ask.
No response.
"Well, I'll get that report to you by the end of the day, then," I say, stacking my folders neatly before gathering them in my arm. "I think you'll find it quite satisfactory. I encourage you to examine it thoroughly."
I hear him take in a breath as if to say something. I wait there expectantly. "Colonel?"
The peculiar voice emerges again. Not peculiar in a bad way, but it's quiet in comparison to his otherwise imposing figure. I mean, he makes this large table look small.
"Colonel?" he asks, a question.
"Yes, sir," I say. "That is your rank."
"Captain," he says in response. Is that... a retort?"
"Yes, that is my rank." He is annoying me.
"You've asked to be called Flora," he says, voice still quiet.
"And you have not asked to be called König," I say, quietly back.
His eyes meet mine, the intensity heating up my face. "Flora," he says, the word a full sentence.
"Colonel," I say, and then leave the room.
YOU ARE READING
Quiet Hate
RomanceKönig, insertion specialist, is good at his job. Special warfare isn't an easy task, but König makes it seem that way. He doesn't have many friends, doesn't socialize, and he never shows his face. Certainly not to some random new girl that shows up...
