illogical

𝚌𝚑. 03

❗this chapter contains: violence, cursing, disturbing images 

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Katerina Koroleva woke up in her bed. Her bed, in her room, back at her base. If she had had any dreams, she couldn't recall them now. She had a hazy memory of her last mission, though. Something had gone wrong...?

No, nothing was wrong. Katerina was never wrong, and she never failed—especially when it came to missions.

She dismissed the feeling, peeling the thin sheets of linen off of her body as she rose. Her room was small and lightly furnished: just a bed and metal frame, a chest of drawers, and a wooden desk, all quite bland in color. She didn't mind, though. Anything more than what she had already would be an illogical addition.

Katerina walked barefoot across the cold tiles and pulled open the top drawer of her dresser, grabbing her usual standard-issued training gear: a black, long-sleeved compression shirt, and loose black pants held up with a tactical belt.

She stepped into her equally minimalistic bathroom. It housed just a small sink, toilet, and shower head that only produced cold water.

Katerina changed quickly and splashed her face with some of the icy water from the sink. She didn't know exactly where the base was located, but she had never seen anything but snow through the small barred window in the corner of her room. Not Russia, as most of the staff were completely at a loss when little Katerina first arrived speaking nothing but Russian. Maybe she was in Switzerland or Iceland. Or Northern America, as she had heard it could be quite cold there.

Katerina stepped out of the bathroom, finding a tray of food now sitting on her bed. A slice of toast, a glass of water, and a lukewarm bowl of...something. She had never figured out the name of the dish. It was some sort of colorless porridge. It was quite bland—Katerina could never discern any specific flavors to give a hint of what it was. 

She downed the stuff anyway. Katerina ate the toast, too, and washed it all down with the water. After she had eaten, she laced up her boots, rebraided her hair into one long braid, and waited.

She often had to wait a while for a guard to come retrieve her for training. This morning, though, it was only a few minutes before he came. The guard unlocked and opened the door without any indication, per usual, and stood waiting for her at the threshold.

She glanced at the window in the corner of her room, and from the looks of it, the sun was just starting to rise. A little early, but Katerina didn't think much of it. Just more training for her, and she liked training.

As always, she got up and walked over to him. She was a little taller than the guard, maybe an inch or two. He grabbed her upper arm tightly and began to lead her out of the room.

Any attempt at conversing with her had been given up a long time ago. She just walked along silently, keeping track of her steps and turns. She must be going to the strength-training room, based on where he was leading her.

But she passed right by the door.

Katerina frowned slightly but didn't say anything. Maybe she was being debriefed for a mission? That often happened in random rooms across the compound.

They reached a door at the end of an unfamiliar hallway. The guard punched in a combination on the keypad, scanned his badge, and had to unlock a manual lock. Whatever she was doing in this room was important.