A Web of Lies, A Rainbow Six Story

Part 6: Apologies and Projects

I bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath, my heart pounding against my ribs. Alessandra's screams still pierce my ears, and it's as though I can feel the hot splash of her blood hitting my skin. After a few minutes, my breathing evens out, and I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, resting my elbows on my knees. I hear a slight stirring nearby and glance across the room to find Alibi, still asleep in her bed. I run a hand through my hair and stand up, grabbing a dark pair of jeans and a hoodie before stalking silently across the room into the bathroom. 

Alibi doesn't know that I'm back yet. She was already asleep when I came back late last night. I quietly get dressed, and head out the door, listening to it softly click shut behind me. I make my way through the halls, my feet tracing the path to the Mess Hall. I arrive to find it empty and grab a plate of breakfast before heading in the direction of the Firing Range. 

I'm nearly there when the sound of an explosion reaches me. I tilt my head curiously and follow the source of the noise, wondering what could have caused it. A little ways down the hall from the Firing Range, I find a door marked R&D. My interest peaking, I gently push open the door and walk in. I find myself in a massive room, easily twice as large as the Firing Range. A row of workbenches line one wall, the opposite wall sporting dozens of toolboxes, with more tools hanging on the wall above them. 

The center of the room is dominated by a huge testing ground, where a lone man crouches in the middle of the room, his attention fixated on the floor in front of him. A panel in the wall in front of him slides back, and a 40mm grenade launcher raises slowly into position in the opening. The man glances up at it, before rising slowly, and turning to face me as a round is chambered into the launcher. As he walks unconcerned towards me, I finally catch a glimpse of what he was so focused on before. Sitting on the floor behind him is what appears to be a smaller version of an ADS from a tank. The top of it swings rapidly around to face the launcher, and I watch in amazement as the launcher fires a round, only for it to be intercepted mid-air by the mini ADS, the empty shell clanging on the floor behind the man. 

He gives a tiny glance back towards the shell, completely undisturbed by what just happened, and walks over to me smoothly. He removes his pilot's helmet and balaclava, revealing himself to be the German man from the boxing match yesterday, the one who won money from the other GSG9 operators. Marius extends his hand out to me, his blue eyes bright, studying me. "Good to see you again mein freund." he says, his words rising and falling with grace from his German accent. I shake his hand, my face kept carefully neutral. "An impressive display Marius. Inspired by the ADS of a tank I would imagine?" I respond, curious. 

His eyes light up, and he nods enthusiastically. "Ja, only smaller, and more accurate. They said it was impossible...They were wrong." he answers, nodding smoothly behind him towards the still smoking grenade shell on the floor. My lips twitch upwards slightly, and I nod along with him. "Clearly." I say, still impressed by his feat of engineering. "So, what can I do for you?" he asks, tilting his head in curiosity. I look around for a moment, glancing at the many toolboxes lining the room, before returning my gaze to Marius. "Show me where I can work." I answer, my gray eyes bright, intrigued by the idea of being able to finally do something alone. Marius grins widely, and shows me to a workbench. I throw myself into the chair, waving to Marius as he walks off to go tinker on his ADS. I glance around for a long moment, before grabbing an array of instruments from the nearby toolboxes, and settling in for a while.

Alibi's POV

(Sleeping)

I ease the door open slowly, weapon at the ready. Something about this compound is different from the rest. Less security, farther off the radar, and a substantial lack of guards. This is not one of the Vinciguerra family's storage and assembly warehouses where they keep the guns they traffic. The door swings open on silent hinges to reveal a long staircase winding down into the darkness.